Edward Cullen: Charity Case
by Icetor
Summary: Businessman Edward Cullen has one of the worst days of his life, only to be seen at rock bottom by his perfect man, someone he hasn't seen in 10 years. Slashy man-love, AH/AU, E/J
1. Chapter 1: Free

Edward Cullen: Charity Case

**A/N: In contrast to my other story, this will be more lemony, I have to get practice writing them somewhere, after all ;D **

**This story is rated M for language and lemons. Don't read if you're under 18**

**Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all the characters.**

Chapter 1 – Free

_I doubt even my lucky rocketship underpants from first grade would have helped this day._

Edward Cullen was standing in front of the one person in the world he would pick as the most humiliating witness to the otherwise rotten day he'd had. Someone he had not seen in 10 years. Jasper Whitlock.

The day had started out ordinarily enough, Edward had left his apartment in a crisp suit, only to find – upon reaching the tiny coffee shop he surreptitiously frequented - that his pen had self destructed. He was putting together one of the largest charity events in the history of the Cullen Foundation (one of many branches of the Cullen-Masen construction empire) and his biggest donor was on the way to his office, so he had no time to change.

On top of the pen incident, he was harangued by Alec and Jane, the two most persistent of his paparazzi followers, and in the course of events, they tripped him, causing him to spill his coffee all over himself, and scrape up one of his palms.

By the time he arrived at his office at 8 am, he looked like he had been mugged by a caffeine addicted octopus.

He'd accidentally double-booked one of his afternoon meetings, meaning that he had to either cut lunch to 15 minutes or offend one of his donors. He cut lunch short, hoping to dash out to a bistro, but Alec and Jane were on the prowl again and caused such a commotion that he had to forgo his meal entirely.

He had frantically made it through the rest of his appointments when one of his clients accidentally unplugged his computer, wiping away the speech he had been working on for two weeks (though he could not really figure out why the copy he had saved had disappeared.)

Edward was contemplating shooting himself when his father called him and told him he could leave early, provided Edward did him a favor. Edward reluctantly agreed and was pleased to find out that he would be visiting Emmett, his older (but not exactly more mature) brother. He and Emmett got along for the most part, so Edward didn't really mind visiting, and the errand would take all of 2 seconds.

Unfortunately for Edward, this day would continue to decay. On his way to Emmett's estate, he got a flat tire, which took him almost a half hour to change (putting him later than he normally would leave work, and rendering his father's kindness moot). He finally arrived at Emmett's door looking like a homeless person, and the one man to whom Edward would love to say "look at me, my life is fan-fucking-tastic so suck it" to answered the door, smirking slightly as he took in Edward's state of dishevelment.

Jasper Whitlock was the self-made golden boy, the diamond in the rough. He had been friends with Emmett ever since junior year of high school, which meant Edward had known him since before puberty. Jasper was, without exception, the most devastatingly handsome man Edward had ever seen, and all the way through Edward's awkward teen years, Jasper was unattainable perfection. He was all hard muscle and southern charm. Edward had been and would likely always be the geeky little brother. Jasper had once held the power to frustrate Edward with a single glance, to send him scurrying with one smirk, and the fucker still had that power.

"Emmett isn't home, but I can take whatever it is," Jasper offered, looking Edward up and down with a bemused smile on his chiseled features.

"No," snapped Edward, virtually at the end of his rope, "If I just leave it, Emmett will 'forget to sign' or lose them or something, and Dad said he needed these to file today. You'd think Em would be _happy_ to get an increase on his life insurance policy." He moved to shove past Jasper, but Jasper backed away quickly to give Edward space. Edward glanced at the lanky man in front of him. Jasper was dressed in sweats and a tank top, "I'll wait here, you do… whatever it is you were doing."

Jasper had undoubtedly been perfecting his flawless physique to deal with all the females that had constantly draped themselves over him since he had first discovered a hair on his balls. He shrugged affably and turned away from Edward, heading into the house and taking a door on the right. Edward immediately went left, determined to put as much distance between himself and Jasper Whitlock as possible.

Now, half an hour later, Edward had downed half a bottle of Bourbon and was considering shooting himself again, though this time it was a wistful 'what if I'd shot myself instead of changing the tire' scenario. At the very least he would have avoided the most mortifying encounter of his life. He liked to think that if he ever died under mysterious circumstances, flocks of admirers would have visited his grave. More than likely, nobody would notice beyond a tabloid blurb about him faking his death. He snorted into his 4th glass of Bourbon and reflected on the life he had built (not at all in reaction to Jasper's apparent distain for him in high school).

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen was doubly cursed to stand out, which was, he considered, his greatest flaw. His father had been the only son and heir to the Cullen Construction empire, and his mother had been the only daughter of the Masen steel magnate. By falling in love, Esme and Carlisle had predestined their children to a life dodging shady reporters and dealing with the infuriatingly persistent paparazzi.

Edward had gotten used to this, mainly relying on the fact that nobody could ever find anything interesting out about him, so his followers trickled down to the single digits. He wasn't a daredevil like Emmett, taking his life in his hands every time a certain blond, blue eyed god showed up from whatever corner of the globe he'd been trotting. He wasn't like Alice, afire in a whirlwind romance in Europe (the subject of these romances tended to change from one month to the next, but there was always someone, and it was always in Europe). Edward was simply the middle child. He was responsible, and professional. He had never been caught in a scandalous relationship (though if the paparazzi had ever succeeded in photographing any of Edward's conquests, scandal would have undoubtedly ensued over the gender of said gropes.) Edward was always careful not to drink, because he knew that impaired judgment would lead to the end of his relatively stable anonymous life.

Tonight he was drinking.

Tonight Jasper Whitlock had driven him to drink, something no other man on the planet had even a prayer of doing. Jasper had accomplished this simply by showing up in Edward's life after 10 years. Edward was determined to use whatever route to avoid Jasper, even that of being a pitiful, sloppy drunk whose day had gone from simply atrocious to truly apocalyptic.

"Ahem," Edward turned and stood as he heard Jasper's voice coming from behind him near the house. He dropped his hands to casually cover his crotch when he saw Jasper, because the physical reactions he was having were wildly inappropriate, especially in the face of his brother's straight best friend. Jasper was sweaty and flushed. His hair was sticking to his brow in stringy tendrils Edward wanted to play with. His arms were incredible, deeply tanned and shining in the fading daylight from the sheen of sweat, and his chest muscles rippled under the indecently damp tank top. Edward was careful not to let his gaze wander below chest level, lest his predicament become even _harder_ to handle.

"Could you listen for the phone? Emmett might call, and I have to hit the shower," Jasper's voice was silky smooth with a bite of southern twang that sent chills down Edward's spine. Edward nodded dumbly.

"If he calls, tell him he doesn't have to worry about the contracts, I picked them up this afternoon. Also tell him that if he wants me to help with his boat repairs, he'll need to pick up …" Edward nodded along, trying to seem intent while not really listening as Jasper listed off a bunch of shit for Em's fucking boat. It was all he could do to keep from walking forward and licking the bead of sweat from the tip of one of the strands of Jasper's golden hair.

Edward recalled that Jasper had been working on a development contract with Cullen Enterprises. He hadn't seen the man in 10 years, but he did occasionally hear about Jasper's remarkable success in the construction business. His most recent major project had proven to Edward's father that Emmett could be trusted to handle more in the business, hence the policy change.

"I'll tell him," Edward promised as he turned away to try and distance himself from Jasper. He heard the door slide shut as Jasper retreated back into the house. Edward risked a glance over his shoulder, and nearly moaned when he saw Jasper pull his shirt off over his head as he walked toward the bathroom.

Edward felt the façade of the collected businessman crack after only 5 minutes around Jasper. He hated himself for being weak, he hated Jasper for being so beautiful, but mostly he hated the fact that nothing would ever change. Jasper was still unattainable perfection, the man by whom Edward judged all other men (though in fairness, there had only been 2 men, and neither of them had even known who Edward was.)

Edward thought back 10 years to the summer after he graduated. He remembered overhearing a conversation between his parents. They were discussing Jasper.

"_He's a bad influence, dear," Esme said, clearly irritated._

"_He's had a difficult life, Esme, give him time. Emmett may not be as responsible as I would like, but I think he will be a good influence on Jasper, and I think maybe Jasper will surprise you." Carlisle was soothing in his tone and his words._

"_I don't want him around Edward or Alice, one hellion is enough." Esme said flatly._

"_Alice has been talking about a trip abroad anyway, and Edward is leaving for the east coast in a week, until then, I'll ask Emmett if he wouldn't mind keeping Jasper away, though I don't know how I'm going to couch _that _conversation so that he doesn't figure out what I'm really asking." He kissed Esme on the forehead and she leaned into him._

"_I hope you're right about Jasper, I hate to deny any of our children friends, but he just worries me. He's so… uninhibited."_

Edward pounded his fist on the glass tabletop, knowing that Jasper wasn't so uninhibited as to take a second glance at Emmett's weird little brother. He tossed down his fifth shot and moved to pour another, but his vision was bad and he missed the bottle entirely. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, trying to decide if he should try for the bottle again. He looked at the pier and saw two yachts instead of one. Probably not.

Edward was trying desperately not to think of anything when he felt a presence close behind him. He jumped from the chair and knocked into the table, hitting his thigh hard against the iron frame. He swore loudly and turned to see Jasper standing a foot or so away from the chair and smirking infuriatingly. He was wearing a fresh pair of sweats and a dark blue t-shirt that did almost nothing to hide his perfect body. His hair was damp and hung loose to his chin.

"Emmett isn't going to be back tonight," Jasper said, "He apparently has a _date_ with a woman." We both knew that date was polite code for quick fuck, though Em usually didn't bother unless it was with mom or dad. "He said her name is Rose, and if all goes well, he won't be back until after work tomorrow."

Edward started to move to the door, weaving slightly, "Well, I guess I'd better go then." Jasper looked at him askance. Edward was obviously hammered and would be in no condition to drive for hours. The night was deepening.

"You can't drive like that." Jasper said flatly, Edward glared at him, "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much,"

"Edward, you are not fine, you've had almost an entire bottle of Bourbon, and you look like a bit of a lightweight as it is, now give me your keys." Jasper demanded, Edward reached into his pocket and took out his keys. Then on impulse, he shoved them down his pants into his underwear. Edward didn't actually intend to drive himself now, knowing that Jasper was right about his impairment, but he wasn't giving up his keys either, he would keep them and find an alternate way home.

"I'm not giving them to you." Jasper glanced at Edward's crotch and gulped, "If you want them, you'll have to take them.

Jasper dragged his eyes up to Edward's face, "That was… surprising." He said honestly, intrigued that Edward would go to such lengths.

"I'm sick of being predictable, maybe it's just the shitty day I've had."

"You do look rather.. unkempt, I'd heard you were a successful businessman, but I wasn't sure based on how you looked when you arrived, I thought maybe you'd gone hobo." Edward's eyes flashed, but Jasper's tone was patient, "In any event, I wasn't saying you had to stay here, I'll drive you."

"To Seattle?" Edward said, scathingly, the drive was over half an hour.

"You could always stay here." Edward met Jasper's gaze defiantly, then he looked away, seeing there were only dregs in the bottle, and figuring he wasn't going to drive anyway, he poured the last of the Bourbon into the glass and tossed it back. Jasper watched his adam's apple bob as the liquid burnt its way down to Edward's stomach.

"What happened to you anyway, was your day really that bad?" Jasper asked quietly. Edward eyed him, not really wanting to answer that question, but he sighed.

"The worst"

"Was it because Em ditched you?" Jasper asked, Edward laughed bitterly.

"That was one of the smaller nails in the coffin of this rotten day, and not entirely unexpected."

10 years ago, Jasper would have packed Edward away in a cab and let him leave without a second thought. Edward had always been quiet, especially around Jasper. He'd never gotten within ten feet of the younger man without Edward making some excuse to leave the room. He thought Edward simply hated him because of the "destructive" influence he apparently had on Emmett, but right now, Edward didn't seem to be shunning him as usual.

Edward had always seemed put together, self-assured, and perfect. He'd been the dutiful quiet child to Emmett's rambunctious rebellion, but seeing him with his hair all tugged out of place, his clothes rumpled and stained, he seemed more… human than Jasper had ever seen him. His face was sharp and angular, masculine and mature. His eyes were penetrating green and Jasper felt a tingle go down his spine when he gazed into the emerald depths.

"What made this day so much worse than the rest?"

Edward fidgeted uncomfortably before answering, "I'm weak," he said at last, "weak, predictable, boring, take your pick." Jasper was surprised by this admission, mainly because Edward always seemed like he'd gotten the life he wanted.

"Weak?"

"I don't have the nerve to…"

"To?" prompted Jasper.

"I don't know, to do something unexpected," Edward sighed, Jasper smirked.

"Like sticking your car keys down your pants."

"That wasn't strong, it was childish." Edward leaned against the rail, examining the glass in his hand.

"So what would you use an overabundance of nerve for?" Jasper asked, more intrigued than ever.

"I don't know, sail off into the sunset by myself." Edward gazed at the boat.

"You sail?"

"No, I don't, but if I did…"

"That isn't outrageous, it's just evading the deeper question, what else would you do?"

Edward thought for a moment, "Throw a plate of food at the next waitress who asks me if I'm 'Carlisle and Esme Cullen's son.'" Jasper laughed.

"I'm sure that would go over well, anything else?"

"Go skinny dipping." Jasper felt his dick harden as his breath caught. He was eyeing Edward in a new light, taking in the obviously fit frame of the man in front of him, _shit, am I attracted to Emmett's brother?_ He wondered.

"You would… do that?" Jasper tried desperately to sound casual and he was pretty sure he succeeded. He was glad Edward was facing away, and glad that he was in silhouette, because his face felt hot as he imagined Edward slipping into a pond, naked.

"No, but it sounded like something that would take nerve."

"Perhaps for some people." Jasper replied, Edward glanced over at him.

"Have you ever?" He asked, Jasper coughed slightly.

"The water is warm in Hawaii."

"What's it like to be free? To do whatever and not risk offending someone's expectations?"

"What makes you think that I would know?" Jasper asked.

"Don't you?" Edward challenged him.

Jasper smiled faintly, "That's not the point, and we aren't talking about me anyway. Is swimming with no cloths on really the most outrageously scary thing you can think of?"

"No."

"What is?"

Edward thought of crossing the distance between them and pulling Jasper into an embrace. He imagined how Jasper's mouth would feel moving on his. Kissing Jasper was infinitely more scary than skinny dipping, not that he'd admit that. He'd never pictured trying to seduce a man, and the few occasions where he'd had any sort of intimate contact, it had been initiated by the other party. If he were going to seduce a man, though, Jasper would be his perfect candidate.

"You can tell me, Edward, I know you've thought of something." Edward flushed.

"It's nothing," Edward said, pushing away from the rail, he made his way to the house, Jasper followed him.

"And he's off," Jasper commented quietly, irritated that Edward was once again seeking distance. Edward stiffened upon hearing the comment.

"Fuck you Whitlock," He said, he opened the front door and slammed it in Jasper's face as he stalked down the steps. Edward pulled out his keys, intending to make his way to his car to get the briefs for Emmett. Jasper opened the door and called after him, "I'm not letting you drive, Edward."

Edward ignored him, and Jasper chased after, easily closing the distance between them. He grabbed Edward's arm.

"I _said_ you aren't driving," Jasper growled at him, not releasing his arm. Edward tugged, trying to free his limb.

"I'm not staying here with you, Whitlock." Edward said angrily, though he had no intention of driving, he didn't see why it was any of Jasper's business. Edward tore his arm away and took another step toward his car. Jasper grabbed his arm and pulled roughly. Edward felt himself spin around and press up against a solid sheet of muscle as Jasper took hold of his other arm, locking them in a virtual embrace, body to body. Edward made the mistake of inhaling and smelled soap and fresh air and Jasper. He grew instantly rock hard. His erection pressed right up against Jasper's thigh. He felt his face go hot and his eyes filled with tears of shame and embarrassment as he crumpled in Jasper's grip.

Jasper's eyes widened as he realized that Edward was aroused, he loosened his grip slightly and Edward started to slump to the ground looking totally dejected.

"I hate you, Whitlock!" he yelled, face now red and tear streaked, "Why couldn't you just have died on one of your fucking misadventures? Why did you have to be so fucking successful? Why do you have to be so goddamn fucking beautiful?" Jasper stared at Edward, agape. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this.

Edward tried valiantly to collect himself, but the weight of the day was suddenly too much to bear and he sat there in his ruined suit and cried for the first time in years. Jasper took a step back. Edward glared up at him.

"You always treated me like dirt, so go ahead, gloat about how Emmett's queer brother has a thing for you." He spit out the words, "Go ahead, hit me, make yourself feel bigger and stronger, maybe then I can finally get fucking over you, you jackass." Jasper stepped up to Edward and Edward cringed, closing his eyes, fully expecting the blow that would crush his soul. Instead, Jasper picked him up off the ground tenderly.

"Edward… you… when were you ever… under me?" Jasper asked in a timid voice. Edward opened his eyes and saw Jasper looking down at him in confusion and … something else, "I always thought _you_ hated _me,_" Jasper continued, "You never looked at me, and every time I was in the room you would tense up and find some excuse to leave. You never gave any indication…"

Edward turned his head away from Jasper, "It didn't matter, you wouldn't have given me the time of—" his voice was cut short because a pair of warm lips had covered his own. Edward's eyes opened wide, staring into the sapphire pools in front of him and he let out a surprised squeak. Jasper crouched in front of Edward, his mouth moved languidly over Edward's, teasing out threads of tenderness and emotion that questioned, asking for a response. Edward suddenly came to his senses (as much as he could in his inebriated state) and clung to Jasper, responding with all the pent up frustration of a decade of virtual celibacy. He moaned, parting his lips, and Jasper's tongue plundered his mouth. Jasper rose and pulled Edward to his feet.

Jasper supported Edward's weight easily, reveling in the feel of the smaller man in his arms. Edward tasted of Bourbon, sharp and bittersweet, but there were also hints of something deeper, something personal and totally Edward. Jasper deepened the kiss, bruising Edward's lips under his furious assault. He had never wanted anyone as much as Edward. Since the first time he met Emmett's shy, intelligent younger brother, his interest had only grown.

When Edward had walked into Emmett's room one time at 16, shirtless and hair in disarray, Jasper had drunk in the sight of the maturing figure. Edward had a slim frame that was filling out with a little definition. In a few years he would be a heartbreaker. Jasper grew hard at the thought of the youth writhing underneath him. He was embarrassed at his reaction, and, not wanting Emmett to see, had quickly grabbed a book, opening it on his lap. Edward hadn't known Jasper would be there and as soon as he noticed the blond, he'd practically run out of the room.

After that day, every time Jasper thought of or encountered Edward, he had studied the younger man, trying to understand why he was so hostile. He never imagined it was because Edward wanted_ him,_ the underprivileged orphan who had invaded their perfect life.

When Edward had finished high school, Jasper had almost worked up the courage to make a move, but Emmett stopped inviting him over. Jasper almost visited the day before Edward left for college, but Emmett met a girl. Edward was on the wrong coast, and Jasper turned his attention to his business.

Edward whimpered into the kiss, pulling back for air, "What are we doing, Jasper?" he gasped.

"Whatever you want, Edward," Jasper responded truthfully. He was willing to take whatever Edward was willing to give.

"Oh, god, Jasper, fuck me," Edward begged, Jasper chuckled and picked up the younger man, carrying him toward the house before he had a chance to change his mind. Edward did not protest, merely took the opportunity to explore Jasper with his lips. He kissed his way up the blonde's jaw and licked behind his ear. Jasper gasped and Edward filed it away for future use. They reached the door and Jasper put Edward down, opening the door and pulling the smaller man inside after him. As soon as the door was closed, he turned around and pressed Edward up against it firmly, sliding one thigh in between Edward's legs as he pinned Edward's arms above his head. Jasper kissed him hard on the lips, then moved to his neck and down toward his shirt.

"I need you, Jasper, don't tease," Edward pled, desire coursing through his body in a complex array of pleasure and torture, "can't wait, need you… take me now," he demanded as Jasper latched onto his collarbone. Jasper managed to pull away.

"Don't stop… oh, god, Jasper, don't stop," Edward pulled Jasper back to himself, devouring his mouth. Jasper pulled away, "Bedroom," he said breathless from the onslaught, "condoms… lube…" Edward nodded his understanding and Jasper pulled him away from the door, walking backwards. Then he turned and practically ran for the correct door, tearing it open and pulling Edward inside. He turned back to Edward and hooked his arms around the redhead's waist. He drew Edward into a kiss and slid his hand to Edward's ass, pulling him back toward the bed. Jasper bumped into the frame with his legs and fell backward, drawing the smaller man on top of himself. Their cocks rubbed together erotically, causing both to shudder and gasp. Edward arched away, tugging his suit jacket off. Jasper pulled at his tie, quickly loosening it and discarding the scrap of cloth.

Edward began fumbling with his buttons, only to cry in frustration as his lack of coordination thwarted him. Jasper rolled them both over so that he was on top of Edward, straddling him. He made quick work of the buttons and Edward shrugged the shirt off as Jasper resumed kissing him.

Edward's hands went to the waistband of Jasper's sweats and he groaned in approval as his fingers met naked flesh beneath. Jasper was going commando. Edward pushed the sweats downward, gripping the mounds of Jasper's ass in his hands and pulling the larger man toward him. Their cocks ground together more furiously as Edward thrust upward, then the redhead broke the kiss and looked Jasper in the eye.

"I need your cock in my ass, Whitlock, don't make me say it again," He commanded. Jasper gulped and nodded, quickly divesting himself of his shirt as Edward ripped his own undershirt off. Jasper's hands went to Edward's belt as Edward pushed at the sides of the blonde's sweats, dragging them down and pulling the fabric taut over Jasper's straining shaft. Jasper gasped as the waistband snapped down over his engorged cock and let it free to slap heavily against his abs. Edward bit his lower lip in his mouth to keep from gasping as he took in the fully naked form of Jasper Whitlock, it was so much better than his fantasies.

Edward's hands went to his trousers as Jasper pulled the belt free. He quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants before arching his lower half off of the bed. His cock ground into Jasper's, but the blonde realized what he was doing and pulled his pants and boxers down in one movement until they were bunched at his ankles.

Jasper was mesmerized by the naked form of Edward Cullen, such a contrast to the soft businessman he appeared to be. Edward's slim frame _had _filled out, and he was well defined, though not muscular to the extent that Jasper was. Jasper stared at Edward's long, thick cock. It was swaying gently and oozing precum. He could not resist the weeping head of Edward's cock and ducked his head to lick the thick cream from the tip. Edward's cock twitched and Jasper took the head into his mouth. He licked around the entire tip experimentally and Edward groaned loudly, then his hands fisted in Jasper's hair and he pulled him away, "No time, I want to come with you inside me, Jasper."

Edward kicked off his shoes and socks and pushed his pants the rest of the way off, now lying completely naked. Jasper drew away from the younger man's cock and began to lick his way down, bathing both balls before teasing Edward's perineum. Edward gasped at the warm touch, knowing where Jasper was headed. The blond lifted Edward's long legs and draped them over his shoulders, delving lower until he reached the puckered flesh that was his goal. He swept his tongue over the ring of muscle and Edward whimpered, pushing his ass toward Jasper's face. The blond swept his tongue across the puckered flesh again and again sending waves of pleasure through Edward's body. Jasper reached over as he continued his ministrations and retrieved a small bottle of lube and a condom from his bedside table. He flipped open the lid of the lube and drizzled some onto one hand, coating his fingers, then he spread Edward's ass cheeks and replaced his tongue with a finger, gently circling the entrance before dipping the tip of his digit into Edward's ass.

Edward strained against Jasper, silently entreating him to work faster, but Jasper continued to tease, wanting to draw out the pleasure for as long as possible. He knew once he was sheathed in the intense heat of Edward's body, he would not last for long. He kept thrusting in with one finger, going a little deeper each time. He felt the ring of muscle slowly relax.

He added a second finger, and brought his head up to Edward's cock once more, taking the tip in his mouth and sucking gently. Edward started moaning vocally, chanting Jasper's name along with a litany of curses. Jasper moved his fingers around, quickly finding a small bundle of nerves, he pressed into them and Edward shouted, "Fuck yes! RIGHT THERE, FUCK, GOD!" As soon as Jasper had fully sheathed his second finger, he drew out of Edward completely. Edward cursed as the digits left him, "Fucking tease, enough already, Jasper," he growled. Jasper smirked, eyes smoldering.

He plunged three fingers into Edward's body zeroing in on his prostate. Edward's eyes went wide as he stared into Jasper's intense stare, dark green meeting deep blue in a timeless connection.

"I'm ready," Edward breathed. Jasper swallowed a groan and nodded. He removed his fingers and tore the condom open with shaking fingers. He rolled the condom down his throbbing length and coated it with lube. He gazed back at Edward as he lined himself up with Edward's entrance.

Edward looked at him with such lust and desire that he fell into the depths of the younger man's eyes as he slowly pushed past the ring of muscle, sheathing himself partially in the smaller man's ass. Edward hissed at the sudden pressure and bit his lip. His cheeks flushed at the pain, but he moaned and strained toward Jasper, needing to feel the rest of his cock. Jasper inched his way in, seeing the expression in Edward's face turn from pain to pleasure at the feeling of fullness. He waited for a moment as Edward adjusted to his size.

"More," Edward demanded, and Jasper complied. He pulled out and thrust back in again smoothly grabbing Edward's thighs and repositioning to change the angle. He continued to pull out and thrust in at different angles until he found Edward's prostate. He kept the angle and started to thrust harder, hitting the gland with each stroke. Edward grabbed the sheets in his fists, holding them tightly as he felt the pressure in his cock mounting. He started his chant again, alternating Jasper's name with swears and gasps as the pleasure of each thrust broke over him in wave after wave. He had never felt so full, so complete. Jasper was perfect.

Jasper felt his climax approaching, and slowed his thrusts, wiggling his hips every time his cock brushed up against Edward's prostate. He grabbed hold of Edward's cock with his lubed hand and started stroking the redhead in rhythm with his thrusts. Edward's moans turned to cries as he felt himself rapidly approaching the end. He spilled over the edge as Jasper thrust into him once more and swiveled his hand around Edward's cock. His seed spilled out over his stomach and Jasper's hand as he keened out Jasper's name in an unbelievable high. Jasper felt Edward's climax before he saw it. Edward's ass clamped down on Jasper's cock, the unbelievable tightness pulling Jasper over the edge. He filled the condom as he came harder than he ever had. He breathed Edward's name, a prayer and a plea.

His orgasm seemed to last forever, but when it was over, he felt himself descend into a state of euphoric bliss. He slowly pulled out of Edward, holding onto the condom. He pulled it off and tied it before throwing it into a waste basket. Then he padded to the bathroom and returned with a warm, wet towel to clean Edward and himself. He threw the towel in the hamper and returned to find Edward asleep. He smoothed the damp locks out of Edward' eyes and cupped the younger man's cheek as he kissed him tenderly.

Jasper picked Edward up in one arm, reveling in the feel of the smaller man's naked body pressed to his side. He pulled back the covers and lay Edward gently down on the bed. Then Jasper climbed in the other side and lay facing Edward. He snaked an arm around Edward's waist and pulled him close until they were spooning, with Edward facing away.

"Thank you," Jasper whispered as he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Opening Bid

**A/N: This chapter is hopefully the most angsty. It also doesn't have any lemon, for reasons that will become obvious upon reading.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all of Twilight.**

**This story is rated M for language and sex, don't read if you're under 18.**

Chapter 2 – Opening Bid

Edward sat at his desk, scanning the speech he'd rewritten over the past 3 days. He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran his hands through his hair once more. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass wall of his office and his eyes narrowed. His hair looked almost exactly as it had when he'd climbed out of Jasper's grasp and left him sleeping. Edward hadn't heard from Whitlock yet, not that he expected to.

He cursed his stupidity at drinking so much. He knew Jasper's reputation for one night stands. When he had woken tangled up in Jasper, his heart had swelled with hope for a moment. He had lain there, studying Jasper's beautiful face, but the hope turned sour in the pit of his stomach as he remembered the numerous stories Emmett had regaled him with of Jasper's conquests over the years. He had foolishly offered himself up to Jasper, and Jasper had taken him. Edward was a notch.

He had managed to extricate himself from Jasper's embrace and had dressed as swiftly and quietly as possible. His mind was racing as he considered what would happen when Jasper woke up. He couldn't face the rejection, being tossed aside. At least if he left, he could maintain a single shred of dignity. He would simply never see Jasper again. It wasn't as if they ran in the same circles. Their jobs never intersected, and Esme was still not convinced that Jasper was good company, so Emmett never brought his friend to family functions.

Jasper had confirmed Edward's initial prognosis of the situation. He had not made any effort to contact Edward. Emmett had called a few hours after Edward left and told him the papers were signed and he was messengering them to the main office. Edward had thanked him and waited for more, but Emmett simply chatted about meaningless nonsense for a few minutes. He raved about Rosalie Hale, the woman he'd actually been dating, and asked if Edward was interested in coming to dinner some night to meet Rosie. He didn't mention Jasper; he didn't say anything even remotely probing. Emmett didn't know. Edward wasn't even significant enough to warrant comment. Edward wasn't surprised. He'd known as soon as he woke up the day after that he was merely a name in a long list of names. Even so, it was one thing to assume you were a notch in someone's bedpost, quite another to have it confirmed.

Edward was looking forward to the coming evening. His anticipation was not merely because of the night itself, though the gala would be spectacular thanks to his efforts. Edward was anticipating the week of vacation that would start the instant the gala ended. He needed to get away. He needed to distance himself from the company, from his family. He needed time and space in order to deal with the burning lump of shit that was his self-esteem after the indescribably stupid way he'd handled the whole Jasper ordeal.

Try as he might, Edward couldn't avoid remembering every detail about the night. Jasper's strong, rough hands on his skin, the taste of his mouth, the sound of his moans, the movement of their bodies in a passionate rhythm, the exquisite agony of Jasper filling him completely. Each memory was painful to recall, because for Edward, they were likely the most passionate he would ever have, and he now realized that Jasper would never reciprocate his feelings. Someday he might study the memories, look back on them fondly, but today, he clamped down the lid and smothered the memories in bitter anger. He wasn't really angry at Jasper, he was angry with himself, with the universe.

Edward finished proofreading his speech and sent a copy to his mother for approval. He set about the rest of the tasks for the fundraiser. He double-checked the seating chart, trying to determine if he'd put any people together who didn't get along. He recognized most of the names, since almost all the attendees of his galas were repeat donors. Three or four guests came from companies that donated generously but had never come to any events. He spaced them out in the areas of the most generous donors, hoping that they might be inspired to bid.

The gala tonight was to support shelters for victims of abuse. The shelters would hold about 50 occupants and cost around $100,000 each to build. That was considering only materials, since the labor was strictly on a volunteer basis. Edward hoped to raise $500,000 from the cost of attendance plus the generous donations he was auctioning off. The number was only slightly higher than the actual amount raised at last year's gala, so Edward felt his goal was conservative and was really aiming for more. His personal goal was to raise at least $600,000.

He finished with the seating chart and called the catering service to make sure the menu was finalized and the quantities were all correct. He called the venue to make sure everything was set up. The team in charge of the auction had a few last minute additions and weren't sure where to put them, so Edward straightened out the situation. When he hung up from his last phone call of the day, he was almost pleased. Now all he had to do was survive Tanya Denali until the end of the evening. God help him.

* * *

><p>Edward picked out his wardrobe painstakingly. His tuxedo was beautifully tailored to fit him like a tuxedo. It always bothered him when people talked about clothes fitting like gloves. A tux should fit like a tux, if it fit like a glove, he'd be worried. He smoothed the black satin lapels down and gathered the sides of the jacket to fasten the button. He turned to the side to examine himself in the mirror.<p>

Thanks to Alice and her fashion connections, Edward was always dressed impeccably (with the exception of an incident a few days prior). His clothes were all custom tailored, but the tuxedo was particularly fine. Edward worked hard to keep himself in shape. He ran nearly every day, and every now and then, he liked to pretend he could make people drool over him, though he knew he was average in the looks department. The clothes gave him confidence, however, so he donned them like a suit of armor. He left the gold and red bow tie untied for now, since they tended to make him feel uncomfortably close around the collar when tied. HE looked like a festive James Bond. Alice had assured him that the tie would bring out the red and gold in his hair, and he was simply grateful that the cummerbund was basic black.

Edward sighed and set down his contact case, knowing they would irritate his eyes. He pushed on his black framed glasses instead and looked at the geek in the mirror. No amount of grooming could tame his hair completely, and unless he wanted to look like he was crying all night, glasses were a must. He growled as he tried vainly to flatten one strand of particularly unruly hair, and he as he ducked his head, his glasses slipped down his nose. He immediately straightened and pushed his glasses up his nose, then he grabbed the hand that was heading to his hair. He would not ruin all the effort he'd put into making it mostly kempt. Squaring his shoulders he glared defiantly at the mirror. At least the tux was amazing. He resigned himself to his lackluster looks and grabbed his keys, phone, and wallet as he exited his top floor apartment.

When Edward reached his parents' estate, he gritted his teeth as he punched in the security code, time to face Tanya, and his mother. He pulled up to the front of the house and hopped out of his car, striding quickly to the door and pushing it open. His mother and Tanya were just inside, making sure each others' dresses weren't mussed in any way. Tanya was stunning in a sleeveless floor-length copper dress with a plunging neckline. The color complemented her strawberry blond hair and almost matched Edward's gaudy bow tie. Esme Cullen was radiant in a cream colored gown, tastefully cut with full-length sleeves. She beamed when she saw Edward, then her smile faded a bit at the harangued look on her son's face, "Edward, could I talk with you privately for a moment?" She asked gently. He nodded and followed her into the next room while Tanya struggled with her dress.

Esme could tell Edward was distressed and suspected it had something to do with Tanya's presence, "You don't always have to take a date, Edward," she chided him quietly, "and you know you could always take _whomever_ you choose." She caught his eye and held it. Edward looked away.

"I know you and dad support me, Mom," he said, "But it's nobody's business, and I don't feel strongly enough about anyone to make waves." (except maybe Jasper, but that would never happen.)

Esme sighed, gathering her son into a warm embrace, "I just want you to find your perfect man, Edward. I hate to see you hiding yourself from the world because you're afraid for your father or the company. We love you more than anything, you and Emmett and Alice are more precious than any amount of money."

"I'm not afraid, Mom," Edward said, only partially telling the truth, "I just don't want it to be on display, if I tell the world I'm gay, then I'll suddenly be more news-worthy, and you know I can barely stand the few people who hand around me just because of my name. If there were any more, I might kill one of them." He was only partly joking. Esme chuckled and rubbed him on the back.

"Just… think about it, Edward. There's someone out there, just waiting for you, the perfect match." Edward nodded and perked up.

"On the bright side, Mom, if he manages to find me while I'm still evading the public eye, it just proves he's willing to put up with a lot of crap to be with me, right?" Edward led his mother out to the entryway where Tanya was waiting quietly. He offered her his arm and she took it. The three made their way to the Limousine and Edward helped the ladies in before joining them and pulling the door closed. Tanya eyed Edward speculatively for a moment. She had known for awhile that Edward wasn't attracted to her, and had begun to suspect it wasn't just her person but her gender. She had spent the last few gatherings taunting him with suggestive comments about men, grinning wickedly when his ears would go pink.

Edward worried every time Tanya made comments that she was trying to hint at a deeper relationship. When she complimented the strength or looks of the most attractive men at each event, Edward squirmed. It was partly because he thought she wanted a physical relationship and partly because he was sometimes aroused by her comments, much to his horror. He thought he had been clear about his own level of interest, always unfailingly polite but distant. He worried that he would have to "dump" his longtime "girlfriend" or tell her the truth and ask her to continue the charade. Neither situation was ideal. He wistfully considered the type of relationship that he would come out publically for. He thought of the depth of connection that would overcome his dislike of the press and would break down the barrier between his public and private lives to openly affect every day and every moment. He wanted it. It was the one thing his brother and sister had that he envied. They were free to love whomever they chose without worrying about public image. Edward was too shy and reserved to love anyone for fear that they would hurt him and he would be left, naked to public scrutiny, a target for greedy and shallow men.

They arrived at the gala and were instantly the center of focus. Reporters asked about the nature of Edward and Tanya's relationship, something neither would ever comment on. They wanted to know if Edward would accompany Tanya on her planned tour of Europe. He wouldn't, but they didn't comment. They wanted to know if Edward was planning on proposing soon. He wasn't and almost laughed out loud when the question was asked. If he were planning on proposing to Tanya, he wouldn't be likely to tell the press in front of her. They made it through the gauntlet of meaningless questions that would no doubt spawn a torrent of salacious and completely misdirected gossip. Edward was reclusive and private, which was his only draw for the media.

They entered the banquet hall and the scene made Edward swell with pride. Tables were scattered artfully around an expansive polished marble dance floor. There was a band playing contemporary jazz improvisations loud enough that everyone could hear, but subtle enough to allow people conversation. The cream of society was all in attendance. Every prominent banker, businessman, politician, and socialite vied for a seat at one of the lovely tables. These events were a way to give back, rub elbows with potential clients/partners, and show everyone how much you would spend on a donated set of golf clubs (ideally, 2-3 times what they were worth). Esme Cullen was the pinnacle of Seattle society, knew absolutely everyone, and was a master of politely pointing out everyone who didn't attend, so the entire city was on their best behavior. She glided from table to table, greeting the women warmly and joking with the men in a perfectly non-flirtatious manner.

The gala was going to be a huge success. They'd hired the best chef in the city to cater the event; they'd spared no expense (since the charitable arm of the foundation was one of the few that were never criticized). Esme glowed with pride every time someone complemented Edward on the fantastic setup, the wonderful food, the amazing venue.

Edward schmoozed with the biggest donors. Tanya's father Aro was in attendance, and he made some not-so-subtle remarks about his hopes for an advantageous match. He was one of the top contributors, so Edward merely nodded and thanked him for his attendance. He moved on to some doctors that knew his father from college. A few women asked him to dance, pressing their breasts up against him. He cringed away, aware that they were after more than a dance and decidedly grossed out.

After about an hour, Edward was getting a little claustrophobic. Every time that anyone would mention Emmett or the developments that Edward's brother was working on, he remembered Whitlock and the one night stand. He acknowledged that he was painfully and embarrassingly obsessed with a man that had not so much as called since taking advantage (but oh what sweet advantage it was) of a very drunk, very vulnerable Edward. Finally, Edward was sure that if he heard one more word that reminded him of Jasper, he would have to excuse himself and take care of his raging erection, so he asked Tanya to dance. She agreed demurely, and seemed to recognize that Edward was more uncomfortable than usual. They danced for half an hour, pausing briefly to catch their respective breaths. Tanya was quiet, not making any of her usual comments, and Edward was extremely grateful.

Finally it was time to start the auction. Edward made his way to the stage and motioned the band to stop after the next song. Esme and Emmett joined him on the stage. They would be helping to display the items which strengthened the family vibe Edward wanted to permeate the event with. When the music ceased, the crowd slowly made their way back to their seats. Edward smiled as the hubbub died down. He gauged the success of most of his auction events by how quickly the crowds returned to order and silence when they knew it was about to start. Judging by this reaction, the donated items were going to be very popular.

The first few items were a collection of art donated by a wealthy widow. She had given generously over the years, and the 20 pieces in this collection were an extraordinarily generous contribution. Edward was gratified to hear and see the bidding go so high, the pieces sold for over $10,000 dollars all told (Esme bought 3, probably intending to decorate someone's office or home with them), which was a rather large sum, given that they were from an unknown artist. Edward felt his nerves receding, he'd always gotten nervous when standing up in front of a crowd, but now that it was down to figures, he was more in his element.

Almost 2 hours and 200 items later, Edward was down to the last lot, the largest of the night. Exceeding his wildest expectations, the auction had already netted $645,000 and the last item should easily add another $20-25k. He brought up the image of the boat and started off the bidding. The price rose steadily, passing $20,000. At this point bidders dropped off quickly, and when Edward had collected the last bid, the boat went for $24,600. Edward started to thank everyone for the wonderful event, waiting for the final total to reach him so that he could tell these people how much their combined efforts had netted the company.

Suddenly, Edward felt eyes on him, which was odd, because practically everyone was watching him, but he felt a single set and scanned the crowd, trying to determine who was watching him so intently as to cause this kind of awareness. He was still distracted when he felt a piece of paper slipped into his hand and looked down, realizing it was the tally of the nights takings: $672,412.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he called out. A hush filled the room, he still felt the eyes on him and felt sweat beading on his forehead. He clutched the paper and tried to calm himself, "I'm pleased to announce that the total donations this evening have surpassed any event we've ever had. We have raised—"

"One hundred thousand dollars," a sickeningly familiar voice made Edward's blood freeze. He looked toward the blond man standing by one table in a breathtaking navy suit. He was staring at Edward intently and his voice was cold.

"I bid one hundred thousand dollars on Edward Cullen. If he accepts the bid, I want him to dedicate his own time to one of the charitable construction programs, start to finish, as any other volunteer laborer does." Jasper's voice was strong and clear, without any hint of emotion. Edward was aware of a swelling murmur making its way through the audience. Cameras flashed from the back of the room and he felt mildly faint.

There was no way to gracefully refuse such an outrageous offer. Jasper Whitlock had him by the short hairs and the bastard knew it. His expression was impassive, but his deep blue eyes snapped with intensity, challenging Edward to refuse the bid. Edward shook, not sure what he should do. He tried to remain calm as he darted a frantic glance toward his mother. She met his eye and tilted her chin proudly, encouraging him to rise to the challenge. He cleared his throat.

"Are there any other bids?" he asked weakly. A chuckle spread through the audience, but nobody raised their hands, of course.

"Then," he said, voice a little stronger. He wouldn't be bullied, Jasper Whitlock wouldn't win this little war of wills. He, Edward Cullen, would take the challenge. He would help with the construction of a building and take Whitlock's hard-earned money for the good of the charity. He squared his shoulders.

"Sold, to Jasper Whitlock, of Whitlock Construction Co." He glanced down at the paper.

"Well, due to that bout of charity, our total is now $772,412 for one night of fundraising, give yourselves a hand." He led the audience in a round of applause, smiling though his stomach seemed to be folding in on itself. He had to leave. Now.

He apologized to his mother, and she frowned, concerned. He couldn't worry about her, he needed to get air, and he needed time away from the crowds he had endured the entire evening.

Edward made his way out of the hall as quickly as he could, which was not very. Every time he took a step there was another patron thanking him for the evening or telling him how impressed they were at his own act of charity. He started running into members of the press about halfway to the door. They trailed after him, trying to ask questions. Had he planned on auctioning himself off? Was Whitlock a friend of his? Which project would he be working on? The questions bombarded him and he barely managed to maintain his composure long enough to slip into the bathrooms and lean against the door. He started to gasp and felt a wave of nausea. Anxiety from the evening, coupled with the horror of Jasper's confrontation left him weak. He leaned against the door for about 10 minutes, and when he exited, the press had moved on, apparently distracted by some commotion coming from the stage.

Edward sighed in relief when he realized Tanya had fainted and his mother was assisting her. Esme looked up just as Edward was examining the situation and winked and he realized that Tanya had faked it as a diversion. He would have to thank her later.

Edward made his way to the entrance hall and strode across it as quickly as he could without actually breaking into a run. He saw Jasper leaning against the wall of doors moments before the blond spotted him. Edward ducked his head and redirected his course to the furthest door from Jasper.

Jasper pushed away from the doors and stalked Edward's direction, face unreadable. Edward realized that Jasper would reach the door he was heading to first, so he quickened his pace and reversed course again, skirting around Jasper as he went to the opposite end of the doors. He was seconds away from losing composure entirely and tears were threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. He made it out the doors and Jasper called out.

"Wait, Edward." His voice sounded concerned. Edward stopped and swung around, swallowing down the queasiness he felt and confronting Jasper.

"What, Jasper? What do you want? Are you here to gloat? Fuck you!" Jasper halted, taken aback by Edward's fury.

"You don't have to do the charity thing, I just wanted…"

"You have no idea what my life is like, Whitlock," Edward snapped, "Of course I have to do the fucking charity thing. You bought it and paid for it, and I fucking have to do it. Do you realize what it would do to the company if I reneged on something like that? Do you have a fucking clue?" His chest was heaving with emotion. His eyes were wet with unshed tears and his face was red.

"Just pay the goddamn money and stay the fuck away from me." Edward's tone was final. He turned to leave and Jasper tried to catch him by the arm. Edward whipped around and slapped the bigger man soundly on the face.

"Don't you fucking touch me, you jackass. I can't believe you would do this. Was it revenge? Why did you fucking do it, Jasper?" a single tear slipped down onto Edward's cheek and he roughly wiped it away with his sleeve. Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Edward raised a hand, cutting him off. The fury had melted away and dejection was on his face, "I don't even care. Just stay the fuck away from me." He repeated before turning and walking away. Jasper stood speechless, watching the smaller man's retreating form. Just then, the crowd from inside began to filter out onto the steps. Jasper was lost in a sea of suits and ball gowns, still motionless and quiet.

* * *

><p>Edward rechecked his schedule for the 50th time. He'd settled on a date. He would work on the next shelter project which was going up in Texas in a month. The entire construction was going to take just over 3 weeks, so Edward had had to increase his workload before and after to be able to take the time off without leaving his staff holding the proverbial bag. His vacation was effectively history; Whitlock had managed to fuck up Edward's life without even knowing anything about it. Then there was the check.<p>

It had been 2 days since the auction, and all of the money had been collected except for the $100,000 dollars that Whitlock had promised. Edward refused to collect the check himself. He would have to send Bella to get it, which he hated, but he wouldn't step within 10 miles of that… man.

He buried his face in his hands, wondering how he had let it get this far. He should swear off drinking. Better yet, he could swear off drinking _and _sex… well... maybe just drinking. The worst part was that he didn't regret anything about the sex, except that he had been drunk and didn't remember some parts. Definitely time to swear off drinking. Every time he thought about the act itself, especially seeing Jasper Whitlock naked, he grew painfully aroused. He did, however, regret that he'd acted so juvenilely. He regretted throwing himself at Jasper in the first place. He fucking hated himself for being so weak that he wanted a repeat performance. He couldn't believe he'd sunk so low as to offer himself up, no strings attached. He wasn't that guy. Edward would be the first to admit he wasn't perfect, but he wasn't cheap. He didn't deserve to be used and discarded, he deserved more. He craved more. The fact that Jasper Whitlock had gotten under his skin and stayed there terrified Edward,.

He looked up and saw that his clock read 5 pm. Perfect, he could go home, relax, maybe read a book. It would be the last normal workday for a long time, so he intended to make the most out of every moment. Jasper Whitlock could wait to fuck with his life for one more fucking day. Tomorrow he'd have Bella track down the jackass and get his check. If Edward Cullen was going to fucking sell himself, he'd get his fucking money before it happened.

Edward got up out of his chair and started packing his bag with the files he wanted to take home with him. He dropped a file and bent down to pick up the pages. As he was bending over, ass on display, he heard a quick indrawn breath and straightened instantly, whirling toward the door. Jasper Whitlock was standing in the doorway to his office, check in hand. He had a curiously dazed look and Edward sighed. _Of course he would show up at my office, never heard of a mailbox, I suppose._

"Edward, I wanted to drop off the check in person and talk." Jasper started. Edward glared at him.

"So now you want to talk? Forget it, Whitlock. I'm busy. If you forgot, I'll be dedicating rather a large amount of my time to a charitable project, so I have a double workload starting today and continuing for the foreseeable future." Jasper's face arranged itself into something like irritated regret.

"If you need to talk about your donation, you can arrange to talk with my mother, who will be handling all new cases while I wrap up our ongoing events and donor files. If it's anything else, fuck off. I don't want to talk to you; I don't even want to see you. You can leave the check with Bella on your way out," Edward concluded, taking the wind entirely out of Jasper's sails. The blond man recognized that any reasonable conversation was out of the question, and he turned, stepping out of the office and looking around for a moment to determine who Bella was. Edward walked to the door, "Oh, and Jasper," he said. Jasper turned around, his face slightly hopeful, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass." He slammed the door as hard as he could in Jasper's face.


	3. Chapter 3: Deeply Flawed

**A/N Last chapter of heavy stuff, I think... It's going to be humorous soon.**

**Warning: Don't read if you're under 18, adult content.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns twilight.**

Chapter 3 – Deeply Flawed

10 years ago - Jasper

Jasper and Emmett sat in the hall outside Carlisle Cullen's office. Emmett had a look of belligerence on his face, though his hands were twisting rather nervously in his lap. Jasper's head was bowed, hair covering most of his face. He was still as a statue.

The trip had been a mistake, and Jasper and Emmett both knew this. When Jasper had suggested cliff diving, it was just another outlet. They saw how rough the water was. The smart thing to do would have been to leave, but Jasper couldn't tear himself away. Every time he tempted fate, he could almost hear their voices, see them once again. Emmett just went along for the ride. Emmett always went along.

Jasper's birth parents had died when he was 10. He'd been fostered by a couple in southern California, but they had gotten pregnant and suddenly foster children weren't necessary. Jasper wasn't bitter. He got it. That didn't mean it felt good.

He'd been lucky enough to get a stable set of foster parents on his second try, and for whatever reason, they had taken to him. He was intelligent and studious, not rebellious. They adopted him when he turned 12.

At 14, Jasper had moved from public middle school to a private high school. His first day, he did his best to remain invisible, knowing he was the only child who didn't belong. All the rest of the boys and girls were born into this. Jasper was a foreigner, his remnant drawl from his formative years, his perpetual tan amid the pasty north-westerners. He'd gotten used to disappearing in public school and had never had any friends. Then Emmett sat right next to him at lunch.

Emmett was too big by half. He looked like a senior when he was 14, and he smiled way too much. He'd seen the shy kid and was reminded of his little brother. He didn't really get why Jasper was shy. Perhaps it was just that Jasper was oblivious to the attention he was receiving from the ladies, but at 14, Emmett knew to align himself with the kid who was already attracting attention. He could reap the benefits of Jasper's seeming disregard for the fairer sex. He stuck to Jasper like white on rice.

Emmett was about as uncomplicated as a friend could be. He didn't care that Jasper didn't talk much. He didn't care that Jasper didn't have all the latest games or the most fashionable clothes. Emmett just liked that Jasper had that mysterious, brooding allure that the chicks dug. It didn't hurt that when Jasper spoke, he had a wicked sense of humor. Jasper was elevated from outsider to best friend of a Cullen. With his change in standing in the hierarchy of high school, he gave up the shy exterior and started to show a more confident, cocky side. He and Emmett were the kings of their school, never bullies, but respected by the guys and drooled after by the girls. It suited both of them for different reasons.

The summer of freshman year, Emmett convinced his parents that he couldn't live without trying skydiving. They reluctantly agreed that he could go, so he took Jasper along. The two boys weren't old enough or big enough to jump solo, so they were strapped to the chests of professionals. It didn't matter, Jasper was terrified.

When they started their freefall out of the plane, Jasper remembered being sure he was going to die. That's when he heard their comforting voices, recaptured their faces. His mother and father, who had died in a car crash, were back with him. They stayed until his fear receded, and Jasper was hooked.

After that, Jasper became the instigator of increasingly chancy endeavors. For 8 years, they chased every thrill, all through college. Emmett liked to walk on the wild side, and more often than not, the boys found themselves asking forgiveness rather than permission. This was one of those times.

The boys were called into Carlisle's office and they sat across the desk from the imposing man and his wife.

"Do you have anything to say for yourselves, young men?" Carlisle asked in a weary tone, he'd been here too many times before.

Emmett shook his head stubbornly, and Jasper cleared his throat to apologize, not that he ever intended to stop chasing the tenuous connection to his parents. He did feel bad about getting Em in trouble yet again though.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," he said earnestly. Esme shot a look at him.

"You almost died, Emmett could have _died,"_ she said, her voice strained, but calm. Jasper looked down, letting his hair fall over his face, "Why do you keep pulling these stunts, Jasper? Emmett?" Esme's voice bore a tinge of fury. Emmett said nothing. Jasper entertained the thought of telling them about his parents, but dismissed it after half a heartbeat. They'd never understand.

Jasper realized later what was going on. Emmett stopped asking him to come by the Cullen estate. It hurt him to realize how poorly Em's parents thought of him, but Emmett didn't seem to care. They still hung out; they just spent less time with Em's brother and sister. Alice was a nightmare, but Jasper would miss seeing Edward on the rare occasion. Still, at least Em's parents hadn't forbidden their friendship outright.

After Edward left for Dartmouth and Alice started her seemingly permanent world traveling, Jasper and Emmett started to drift apart. They both realized individually that college was over and that the real world required them to be more responsible. Emmett tried to find some niche in Cullen Enterprises that would satisfy him, but he jumped from place to place, branch to branch, never interested for more than a few months at a time. Jasper knew that on some level, Esme still blamed him for Emmett's ADD tendencies. Jasper wasn't sure if he agreed.

Jasper came out to Emmett just after graduation.

"Em," Jasper tried to find the words. Emmett was straightforward, maybe a direct approach.

"What's up, bro?" Emmett asked, not really hearing the seriousness in Jasper's tone.

"I'm gay. Please don't freak out."

Emmett spit out the mouthful of beer he'd just been about to swallow. That wasn't what he'd been expecting. He freaked out

"Oh god, Jas… I… I'm not that way, I…" Emmett fumbled around for something to say, turning about seven shades of red and green in the process. Jasper realized that Emmett thought the declaration had a secondary intent and started laughing his ass off.

"I'm gay, Em, I'm not attracted to you," Emmett stopped mid-awkwardness and an affronted look appeared on his face.

"I never thought you were," he said archly after gathering some of his wits, "You always did have shitty taste." That was true, Jasper never seemed to go for the glamorous chicks, and Emmett could never figure out why, now he knew.

"Is that why you never… Did the deed, man?" Emmett asked, discomfited. Jasper shook his head, grinning.

"I never said I was a monk, there were a couple guys… Peter was one." Emmett nodded, not surprised, now that Jasper had mentioned it. Thankfully, Jasper didn't go into as much detail as Emmett usually did about his conquests, instead letting the revelation sink in without pushing. He wasn't sure if Emmett was reacting well or if it just hadn't hit home yet.

"Why tell me, Jas? I mean, I don't have a problem with it, dude, you can bone whoever you like, but… Why tell me?"

"You're my best friend, and I'm sick of lying about all the girls you keep throwing at me." Emmett grinned and Jasper groaned, "This is _not_ an invitation to hook me up with any other gay friends you have." He clarified.

"What if I meet a really awesome dude who's into like… all the extreme sports you like and has really nice abs?" Emmett questioned. Jasper shook his head.

"Not interested, Em, I'm sure I'll be fine in that department. Face it, I'm way more attractive than you, it's practically the only reason we're friends." Emmett nodded solemnly.

"True, but I like to think my charm has rubbed off on you over the years, Whitlock."

"One more thing, Em… Don't tell your family?"

Emmett set the beer down gently. Leaning forward, he grabbed Jasper's shoulder, "They wouldn't care either, Jasper… It's not an issue." Jasper looked away.

"Em, your mom hates me, and I don't want any other marks against me, however minor. Please don't tell anyone?" Emmett nodded reluctantly.

For the next 10 years, Emmett kept Jasper's secret diligently. Every time they would hang out, if Emmett hooked up, he fabricated an equally hot piece of ass to relate to his brother, (it was a wonderful girl when he was talking to his parents or sister). As a result, Jasper quietly maintained his bad boy/player reputation, but it wasn't anything scandalous and nobody in the Cullen household thought twice about the blond's reputation.

Jasper himself had much to prove, so he spent long months setting up a construction company. He courted businesses and private individuals to win contracts he could work on. He never asked for help from his parents or Emmett. He wouldn't have accepted help if it had been offered. He and Emmett got together once or twice a year to chase some of the same thrills, but now it was a way of blowing off steam, not just a childish fantasy that he could find his parents.

Whitlock Construction, Jasper's company, eventually grew respected enough that when it bid on a Cullen Enterprises contract, it won on its own merit. Carlisle Cullen had been following Jasper's work and was impressed by the quality and efficiency of each site Jasper was in charge of. As a result, he strong-armed Emmett into working with the development office on the project Jasper was contracting. It was a huge success, since Emmett found something he enjoyed and Jasper was so good at his job. From there, Jasper and Emmett became a business team. They found projects that Cullen Enterprises could appropriate and turn a profit on and brought them to Carlisle. Emmett handled the business end and Jasper worked on the ground and everyone was happy.

During the third complete project that Jasper and Emmett had arranged, Jasper was in town briefly and crashed at Emmett's house. Emmett's little brother had shown up, and Jasper had been completely flustered by the unexpected encounter.

Edward was exactly Jasper's type, fuck, Edward was the person Jasper's _type_ had been constructed around. He had grown into a stunningly handsome man, complete with hair that looked like he had just been thoroughly fucked, sharp features that were chiseled and planed as if carved in marble. He also looked like he'd just been mugged by an angry cup of coffee. Jasper had to restrain himself from pulling Edward into an embrace, stroking his hair and comforting the obviously distressed younger man.

He'd tried to keep his distance, but in the end, Edward's safety was more important. He remembered the exact moment their contact had escalated. Their bodies had crashed together, and Jasper knew he would kiss Edward, hoped Edward would respond. When Edward initiated a level of intimacy that Jasper had only ever dreamed about, it was the most amazing moment of Jasper's life. Jasper had been with more than his share of men, but Edward's body was so responsive he almost came before he could bury himself in the tight warmth of the younger man. Jasper loved the arch of Edward's back, straining toward him. He tasted the sweat on Edward's skin, felt the silky strands of Edward's unruly hair between his fingers. Jasper could hardly believe that after ten years, he had made such a deep connection with a man he thought hated him. He felt like he was on top of the world, flying. He fell asleep completely sated and euphoric.

The next morning, Jasper felt like a complete piece of shit.

Edward disappeared, and Jasper could only assume it was because he had thrown himself at Jasper not because of mutual attraction, but in a moment of drunken weakness and had freaked when he found out what he'd done. Jasper tried not to take it personally, tried to give Edward some space. After one day, Jasper was depressed, he didn't say anything to Emmett, but he was moody and irritable. After two days, he was fuming. He attended the auction knowing Edward would be there. He didn't know why, but he wanted to have an explanation. He could hardly believe that the most intense physical experience of his life had meant so little to Edward. In a fit of impulse, Jasper bid on Edward, not really sure why his lips were moving. As soon as Edward locked eyes with him, he knew he'd gone too far. He recognized the carefully controlled look of betrayal and hurt, and Jasper wanted nothing more than to take back the last 5 minutes.

He tried to talk to Edward before the younger man left. When the redhead made every effort to avoid a confrontation, it made Jasper feel even lower. He knew that if he could just vocalize his feelings, he could let Edward take control of the situation, let him decide where they stood, what would happen. Edward wouldn't even let him speak; the harshness of his voice was a punch in the gut to Jasper. Jasper hadn't considered how the bid would trap Edward. The slap stunned the blond, and Jasper let him leave.

After a couple days, Jasper decided Edward would have calmed down. He visited Edward's office and almost ruined everything by pouncing on the smaller man when he saw him bent over, ass in the air. Jasper wanted to grab him and take him, show Edward how good it would be, how deep his feelings went. It didn't matter, there was nothing to ruin. If anything, the young businessman was even more irate than before.

He hadn't thought of the workload he was adding to. He had hoped Edward would let him explain. Edward's accusation hit home, Jasper knew he deserved all the punishment for his behavior. He wanted to defend himself. Why hadn't Edward called? Why had he left after the most amazing night of Jasper's life? Edward wouldn't answer the questions, he made it clear that he didn't want to deal with Jasper directly.

Jasper couldn't bring himself to face the inevitable rejection that would follow such questions, so he simply left. Edward's fury chased him out the door, and he felt the final blow deeply when Edward had slammed the door behind him.

There would be no discussion. Edward didn't want to talk; he couldn't even look at Jasper without becoming furious. Jasper felt like he'd lost something precious before it had started. He had no clue why, but Edward Cullen hated him without even knowing him. There was nothing he could do to change that.

* * *

><p>10 years ago - Edward<p>

Edward came out to his twin sister Alice a week before she left for Europe… He needn't have bothered, Alice had known for 3 years (startling, since Edward himself had only realized it two years before, when he was 16). He left for college feeling freer than he ever had. He was on a different coast, thousands of miles from Seattle. He had no expectations to uphold as far as personal choice. How naïve he was.

After his first year of college, Edward had realized 2 things. First, he found out that the press is everywhere, and second, dating in college isn't that much easier than dating in high school if you're painfully shy.

Edward came home for the summer, eager to see Emmett and Alice and his parents. He saw his parents.

Emmett was involved in some project for the company, marketing human something-or-other. He didn't come home for all the 3 months that Edward was visiting. Alice was still traveling, she'd moved to Australia and found a man named Riley to occupy her time. Edward was jealous. He loved Aussies.

Edward had not found a major, so he became Esme's project for the summer. She took him through different branches of the company, hoping he would show an interest in some aspect of the business. Edward fell in love with the work of the charitable foundation.

He also grew much closer to his mother, so much so that when he was ready to start his sophomore year of college, he came out to her. The only thing he asked was that she not tell the press and not tell Emmett, who had a knack for letting sensitive information slip to the media. Edward didn't want that sort of burden on his brother's shoulders.

He returned to college with a business major as well as minors in music and accounting, the first would keep him sane, the second would help his skill-set in dealing with donors and their money.

In his first class of the semester, Edward was drawn to a rugged looking blond that sat in the front of the marketing class, blithely unaware of his attention. His name was James, and he was hot.

Edward salivated over the man for a few weeks before they ever had any interaction outside of class. James had noticed Edward's stares, and he was intrigued by the redhead's attention. He'd never considered fucking a man, but something about the boy was captivating. He decided to have some fun and started flirting with Edward.

Edward was astonished that James was gay (little did he know) and quickly fell for the older, more experienced man. James escalated the relationship as quickly as he could, trying to pop Edward into bed before things got too gay. He fucked Edward on their third "date." Edward was completely floored when, after fucking him, James had laughed at him and thanked him for "crossing fucking a dude of my bucket list."

After that, Edward was freaked out and had no idea what to think. He apparently lacked any sense of who was gay and who wasn't, so he hid away, hoping that his next experience would be less horrible. He couldn't believe he'd given away his virginity to an experiment.

After a semester, James was a fading wound, and Edward ventured into a relationship with Felix, who was gay.

For a few months they dated without any pressure. When they finally consummated their relationship, Edward was thrilled. He felt a real connection to the brooding man who held him gently. They continued to see each other until summer.

Edward found an internship on the east coast, sad that he would not see his family, especially since Emmett and Alice were home, but he wanted to spend more time with Felix. They spent the summer in lust, neither committing fully to the relationship. Edward never questioned why Felix was holding back.

In the beginning of junior year, Felix came to Edward, distraught. He had school bills that he couldn't pay and would have to leave Dartmouth. He wasn't sure when he would be back. Edward sprang into action. He dipped into his massive trust fund and loaned Felix the money. This happened again the next semester. Edward was very worried that his boyfriend would leave. At the end of junior year, Felix came to Edward, asking for more money. Edward was confused, since it obviously wasn't for school needs.

Felix said that if Edward loved him, he would give Felix the money and trust that it was necessary. Edward gave Felix the money.

In the beginning of senior year, Edward found out that Felix had gambling debts. He couldn't go to his parents because they would stop paying for his school, so he had found Edward (knowing full well who the other boy was) and attached himself to the redhead in order to gain access to his money.

Edward felt used and foolish. He told Felix if he ever revealed their relationship to the press for money, he would see to it that the other man's family found out about his gambling and manipulating Edward. He cut his ties to Felix and tried to move on, but he was deeply hurt.

Edward had always been sensitive, and knowing that the only two relationships he had ever pursued had been lies crushed him. He never told anyone in his family, too embarrassed by his weakness and gullibility to seek support.

After Edward graduated, he took over the charitable branch of the company, throwing himself into his work. He tried to find time and privacy to date, but since he was back in Seattle, he had the convenient excuse of the press to keep him from getting attached. He stayed single for 6 years, out only to his mother, father, and sister. He felt like he was in a stalemate with his own life. He couldn't open up to anyone, because he'd been burned each time he tried.

With Jasper it was worse. Jasper had been his high school dream, the one person he'd idolized before he realized what he was doing. On top of everything, the physical experience of being with Jasper was downright transcendent. He would cherish that memory; he would keep Jasper as the beautiful ecstasy of that one night, not letting the illusion be torn down by the reality of Jasper's callousness and disregard.

* * *

><p>Present Day (3 weeks after the gala) – EdwardEmmett

Edward pushed away from his desk, disgusted with his weak and petty behavior. He wanted to blow off steam, he wanted to talk with Alice, see Emmett. Maybe tip a cow over or something, that shit was supposed to be fun, right?

Edward called Emmett.

"Hey, little bro, what's up? Polishing your tool belt yet?" Emmett asked, he'd congratulated Jasper on the masterful prank against Edward, but for some reason, Jasper didn't share his mirth. He thought that was fucked up, since Jasper had been the one to bid on Edward.

"Fuck you, Em," Edward retorted, "I'd like to see you out, hauling shit around for 3 weeks." Emmett snorted. He had spent quite a bit of time doing manual labor over summers, and enjoyed the work. It was part of what drew him to the development job he held, sometimes he would sneak down to construction sites and help out for a day or two before dad found out and corralled him back to the office.

"I'd ruin my girlish figure, Ed, and Rosie really likes it."

Edward was now intrigued. By his estimation, Emmett had been with Rosalie Hale for 8 days, a record.

"So, Em, am I going to meet this fabulous beauty you keep talking about? Should I bring my own air pump?" It was his turn to tease. Emmett snorted over the phone.

"Only if you need to find a date, I think Sally is somewhere up in my attic, tell you what, bring the pump, and you can borrow Sally for the evening, we'll make it a double date." Edward laughed.

"That's ok, Em, Sally has too little penis for —" Edward realized what he was saying and suddenly he stopped talking. There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Ed? … erm… did you just say …" Emmett tried to find a delicate way of clarifying what he'd heard. Suddenly the line went dead. Emmett looked at his phone for a moment, pieces falling into place, "Well, shit… no wonder they were acting all fucked up at the gala…" he murmured to himself. Then he dialed Edward back, time to find out why his little brother had been lying to him for 28 years.

Edward heard the phone ring, read who was on the other end of the call, and let it go to voicemail. He'd talk with Emmett later, hopefully he could convince his meathead brother to keep quiet around the press.

Emmett frowned at his phone, hanging up on Edward's voicemail for the fifth time in a row. He decided to call mom and find out what the hell was going on. On the third ring, Esme picked up the phone.

"Mom, Edward's gay," Emmett blurted, there was silence for a beat, then Esme laughed softly over the phone.

"So he finally told you? I'm glad, it's been too long." Emmett's eyes went wide, then he glared at the phone.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'it's been too long'? How fucking long have you known?" He growled. Esme grimaced.

"Language, dear. Didn't Edward tell you? We've known since he was in college, I really thought he would explain this himself."

"I don't think he was intending to explain anything, Ma," Emmett said, "He let it slip while we were joking around on the phone, and now he won't take my calls. Why didn't he tell us? Why keep Alice and me out of the loop? I mean, he told you and dad, right?" Esme drew a deep breath.

"Alice knows, he just thought… I'm sorry, Emmett, but Edward didn't want to burden you with this because he has no intention of coming out to the press. He hasn't dated in 6 years, so it hasn't come up. He didn't want you to have to police yourself when you talk about him."

"Shit, Ma. How kind of you to put your trust in me. When have I ever told the press anything sensitive?" Emmett demanded, "I'll have you know that I am an excellent secret keeper. I never even told anyone that Jasper is—" He realized what he was saying and shut up.

"Never told anyone Jasper is _what, _Emmett?" Esme's voice was dangerous, Emmett scowled at himself in the mirror across the room from him.

"Nothing, Ma. Not my secret to tell." Emmett was a little put out that Edward didn't trust him, but it did put him in a perfect position to mess with both Jasper and Edward. The question was, how should he go about it.

"Tell Edward that if he doesn't fucking call me within a half hour, I'm calling a press conference." Emmett hung up without waiting to be scolded for his language again. Esme was relatively certain that the threat was empty, but she dutifully called Edward and relayed Emmett's message.

Edward called Emmett three minutes later, and Emmett grinned as he answered the phone.

"What's up, little bro? Pack any fudge recently?" He said jovially. Edward growled.

"Emmett, if you ever threaten me with the press, I'll tell mom about Panama." He was deadly serious and Emmett knew it. He gulped.

"I wasn't going to call a press conference, Ed, I just wanted to talk, and I was a little peeved that you told everyone else on the face of the planet." Edward sighed.

"I just didn't want anyone to suffer because I chose to keep this quiet, Em. I didn't mean to hurt you. Besides, it's not like you know any gay guys, Jasper's practically the only person you hang out with." Emmett grinned broadly, realizing what the problem was.

"Jasper, yeah… he's something else, so tell me, Ed. What was with all the drama at the gala? Did you and Jasper fuck or something?" He joked, then he heard Edward's breath catch and knew he'd stumbled on the truth.

"Edward, did Jasper fuck you?" Emmett asked quietly, dreading the answer that would turn him against his best friend.

"Em, d-don't ask." Edward said.

"Goddamn, Ed, I figured there was some unresolved sexual tension, but fuck! I mean, you practically quarantined yourself every time he was around in high school. Once I found out you were gay, I figured you were carrying a torch for him. What happened?"

"I… we… it was when I came over with the papers. I had a really shitty day, and I got a little drunk." Edward drew a deep breath, "I got completely smashed, and one thing led to another. I haven't really talked to him since."

"He left you hanging?" Emmett was furious, he would kick Jasper's ass later. Right now, Ed needed his support, "That fucking ass. I figured he'd—" Emmett cut himself off, remembering his promise not to out Jasper. He started working things out in his head.

"I knew what it was, Em, I'm a big boy. I just… maybe I should have expected it… Jasper is a player." Edward trailed off muttering, but Emmett thought he hear something about "fucking bucket lists" and rubbed his forehead with a palm.

Emmett realized there was more than a little crossing of wires involved. He suspected Edward's impression of Jasper might be a little skewed due to his… elaborations over the years.

"Listen, Ed, have you tried to talk with Jasper? Have you heard his side?" Emmett heard silence from Edward and took that for a no.

"I think maybe you should come over here and talk with him, at least find out what he's thinking about all this, man. You might be surprised, Jasper is a good guy."

"Jasper is a good guy?" Edward snarled, unsurprised that Emmett had sided with Jasper, "I've met his type, Em, they'll fuck anything that moves just to say they did it once. Don't bother calling back." Edward slammed down the phone, leaving Emmett completely bewildered on the other end.

"The fuck?" Emmett sat at the desk for a long time, looking at his phone and thinking about Ed. Something didn't add up, his brother hadn't had a date in 6 years, according to Ma, and Ed was a real catch. He remembered one of Edward's friends making an offhand comment that she seemed to get way too embarrassed about, Angela something or other from college. He thought he would recognize her if he saw her face.

Emmett logged into Edward's facebook, looking at pictures of his friends. He found an Angela Cheney and looked up her profile. Jackpot. He fist-pumped the air when he saw her cell phone number listed and quickly dialed it.

"This is Angela Cheney, may I ask who is calling?" A gentle voice answered.

"Hey Angela, I'm sure you don't remember me. This is Emmett Cullen, Edward's brother."

"Is something wrong with Edward?" Angela's voice was immediately concerned.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I need to know everything you know about Edward's first boyfriend. I remember you mentioning a bad breakup, and I think I need to know more."

Angela paused for a moment, "Edward told you he was gay?" she guessed.

"Yeah, and it's deeper than that. He's acting really weird about a friend of mine, I think he's carrying some baggage from way back, and since he hasn't dated in 6 years, I was hoping you might know more than me."

Angela's jaw dropped when she found out that Edward hadn't dated since Felix. She was one of the few friends who were there for both relationships, such as they were. She knew that James and Felix had done a number on him, but had no idea how bad it was.

"Well, James was a complete asshole, and Felix was a slimy little tick, who do you want to know about first?"

Emmett smiled coldly, finally some answers.

"Start from the beginning."


	4. Chapter 4: Inevitable

**A/N I don't really like long author's notes, I try not to be that guy. This is intended for adults 18+. If y'all would remember that, I wouldn't have to put it down each time. (I might admit to reading some NC17 stories when I wasn't of age, that doesn't mean you should)**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns twilight. **

**Fic rec of the week, in case you missed it.**

****Outside the Bubble** by OvertlyConcealed**

**It's a hilarious story about a very shy, phobia laden Edward and an awkwardly obsessed Jasper.**

Chapter 4 – Inevitable

"Jasper, open the fucking door, dude." Emmett's voice cut through the fantasy Jasper had been indulging in. It may or may not have starred an irate, domineering Edward. He felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured down his neck, accompanied moments later by a hot flush of embarrassment. Jasper had been imagining Edward beneath him. Jasper had been slamming into the younger man frantically, driving him into the bed and rocking the frame to rhythmically thump against the door. The thumping continued after the daydream evaporated.

Jasper hadn't jacked off in the past 5 years as much as he did in three weeks since he'd encountered Edward. He'd tried valiantly to find someone attractive he could use to fuck Edward out of his system, but he hadn't found a single man who aroused him since that fateful night. He was completely obsessed with the one person on the planet that wouldn't give him the time of day. Grumbling, he tucked himself into his shorts, vaulting up off the couch and stalking to his front door.

"The fucking construction site better be underwater, Emmett," he shouted out as he reached the door and yanked it open. Emmett was standing there, eyes fierce.

"Did you fuck my brother, Jasper?" Emmett asked in a quiet, dangerous voice. Jasper felt the blood drain from his face. He stood there, shocked by the question until Emmett shoved him to the side, stomping into his house.

"You fucked my brother, you piece of shit!" Jasper worked his jaw, trying to come up with a reason to explain his actions, some way to keep Emmett from thrashing him. Emmett stormed around his house. Finally the giant man came to rest standing in front of Jasper.

"I should pound you into a fucking wall. Why the fuck would you use him like that?"

"I d-didn't" Jasper stammered, mind racing to come up with an explanation.

"Didn't what, Whitlock? Didn't fuck Edward? That's bullshit. Didn't use him? Why didn't you call him? What was with the fucking charity stunt?" Jasper quailed; he'd never seen Emmett so angry before.

"I-I…I…" Jasper tried to explain what had been going through his head, "I slept with him, and the next morning he was gone. I thought he regretted it, since he was drunk. I didn't want to… to push him, but I got angry. The charity thing was fucked up, I wasn't thinking."

"He was _drunk_?" Emmett asked incredulously, "Edward _never_ gets drunk."

Jasper slumped down into a chair, burying his face in his hands, "I didn't know, man, I swear. He… I kissed him and he liked it, he asked me to sleep with him. I just wanted him for so long…" he trailed off. He'd never confessed his crush to Emmett before.

"You're saying you thought about this before? You have a think for my brother?" Emmett's voice was hard as flint. Jasper started to hyperventilate.

"Y-yeah, ever since high school. I didn't know he was… I never thought he would be…" Jasper looked up at Emmett with pleading eyes, "I fucked it all up though; he hates me. I didn't mean to hurt him, Em, I swear to god. I love h—" He realized what he was saying and flinched as the words rang out into the room. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the punch he knew would connect momentarily, "Go ahead, Em, I know I deserve it," nothing happened.

He peeked up at Emmett to see him grinning broadly, "Aww, you love him! That's so sweet, maybe I won't kick your ass after all, fucker." Emmett laughed loudly. Jasper was completely taken aback; he dropped his arms to his sides and looked at Emmett as if he'd grown a second head.

"You… you aren't going to… to kick my ass?" He asked in a pathetically hopeful voice.

"Shit no, man, your my best friend, you're in love with my brother, he has a thing for you… why would I be mad? Granted you kind of fucked up by not calling, but nothing a little Emmett magic can't fix. I just wanted to make sure you weren't being a fuck-head. If you'd been messing with my little bro, I would totally have kicked the shit out of you. Now, let's talk about how you're going to reverse this little fuck up."

Jasper was still confused, "It won't work, Em, Edward won't even speak with me, I tried. He shut me down at the gala and again at his office a couple days later."

Emmett looked at Jasper condescendingly, "I think I know my brother, and after my investigative prowess manifested yesterday, I know exactly why he was angry with you, and exactly what you need to do to get him back."

"Why was he angry with me?" Jasper asked.

"I can't tell you that," Emmett said archly, "It was relayed to me in the strictest of confidences, but let's just say it wasn't entirely your fault, not even the parts that happened since college." Emmett blushed slightly and Jasper stared, what could Emmett possibly have done to turn Edward against him?

"Emmett, did you have something to do with this?"

"It's your fault," Emmett grumbled, ducking his head, "You fucking told me to keep your stupid secret."

Jasper realized what Emmett was talking about. He knew that Emmett had made up conquests for him to go along with each of their expeditions. While it was true that Jasper had been involved with men in the past, he never took them along when he traveled with Emmett, and he never hooked up while he was away. The thrill-seeking part of his life was extremely private.

"Emmett, how many girls did you have me hooking up with?"

Emmett turned red in the face, "a few," he said evasively, "less than me, but that's a given. Let's face it; I have game, so you scoring more than me would be just wrong. It would seem weird if you were always celibate though."

Jasper sighed, "So Edward thinks I'm a player?"

Emmett nodded, "A _straight_ player," he clarified, "And if you knew what I know, you'd know that straight players are on the bottom of Edward's 'to fuck' list. The fact that you didn't call back has solidified you in his bad graces."

Jasper nodded, heart plummeting.

"Any idea how I might convince him I'm not a straight player?"

"Well, not fucking any girls would be a good start."

"Done."

"You might also come out to him, and… erm…"

Jasper narrowed his eyes, "Spit it out, Em."

"You need to go slow, start with first date shit, woo him." Emmett was turning red again.

"So I have to put the moves on your little brother?" Jasper asked. Emmett scowled and nodded. Jasper grinned, "Gee, it's going to be a challenge, but I happen to know he's worth it. I'll ply him with some dinner, maybe a little wine. He'll like that, I think, as long as I don't get him drunk. After a few dates we'll cover some more ground. He has the sexiest—"

Emmett covered his ears, "Jesus Fucking Christ, dude, shut up. I don't need that mental image."

Jasper snorted, "I promise not to nauseate you with sexy talk about your fuck-hot brother as long as you promise to stop describing every piece of tail you score."

Emmett stuck out a hand so fast that he knocked a lamp over, "deal," the lamp broke, "shit, I'll pay for that." Emmett smiled winningly, and then added, "One last thing. If you hurt him, I'll have to hunt you down and kick your ass."

"Emmett, if I hurt Edward, I'd gladly take the beating I would get." Emmett held Jasper's gaze for a moment, and then nodded with a look of satisfaction.

Jasper was pensive, plotting ways of getting Edward alone so he could confront the younger man. He would convince Edward that he wasn't the cretin Emmett had apparently portrayed him as. He needed to find out how Edward felt. Did he have a shot?

"So… now that I know a little more about what's going on, do you have any ideas about getting Edward to talk to me? Have you asked him to give me a chance?" Jasper wanted to know where Edward's head was. Emmett raised his hands defensively.

"I gave you all the help I could, man. I tried to tell Edward that you're a nice guy, but he blew up at me. That's why I tracked down some friends of his and found out what the fuck happened to cause the reaction. Happy as I am for you two fuckers, I think I'll pass on the rest of the planning, man. I've got a trip to the east coast anyway." He smiled widely, but there was no mirth in his expression. Jasper shivered.

"Are you going there to kill someone?" He asked.

"We'll see." Emmett said simply, "By the way, when I get back, Rosie wants to meet you. Plan on it." He pointed two fingers at his eyes then at Jasper's before turning to the door and disappearing. Jasper remained seating. He leaned back in the chair and turned his thoughts to Edward. He tried for a few minutes to concentrate on how he was going to convince the younger man to trust him, but try as he might, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering naughtily.

His cock hardened as he thought of Edward and he sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate until he relieved some tension. Jasper hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his shorts and lifted his hips as he shoved them down. His cock sprang upright and slapped against his shirt. Jasper reached over to the table beside him and pulled out a small bottle of lube he kept in it, for emergencies. He drizzled some of the liquid into his palm and let it warm for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and remembered everything he could about Edward.

He gave his cock a few quick strokes to get it lubed up, then formed a tight ring with his hand and started to thrust into it, imagining that he was entering Edward's tight ass. He could almost feel Edward's slim hips in his grip as he slowly pushed into his own hand. He pictured Edward gasping his name and Jasper groaned. He pulled out and thrust back into his own grip, moving his other hand up under his shirt to play with his nipples. Jasper imagined leaning forward and kissing Edward's neck as he continued to thrust into his hand. He licked his lips and arched his back as image after image of Edward's body assaulted him. He moved his hand a bit to mimic Edward's counter thrusting. He could remember everything about the night, and he felt himself growing closer to climax with every memory, every sensation. Jasper then imagined that his hand was wrapped around Edward's cock and he started to pump his length slowly, matching his rhythm thrust for thrust. His entire body drew taut as he remembered the look of longing in Edward's eyes. He remembered the milky cum shooting from Edward's cock all over his stomach, and Jasper felt himself teeter. He squeezed his cock and shouted Edward's name, spewing his seed all over his shirt and hand.

Jasper's entire body was tingling with his orgasm. He slowly came down from his high, one single thought dominating his consciousness. He could win Edward over; he had to win Edward over.

* * *

><p>Edward started working from home two days later.<p>

Jasper tried calling and speaking over the phone. He set up a meeting under a false name. Edward ran out on _that_ the moment he realized Jasper was waiting for him. Jasper tried approaching Edward through Carlisle, but the older man pressed him for details on why he didn't talk to Edward directly, and when he couldn't evade the polite probing anymore, Jasper merely apologized and hung up.

The next day, Jasper went to Edward's office, intending to wait outside until Edward would hear him out. Edward locked his office door and waited until security had cleared the building for the night before leaving for home. The next day Jasper waited outside Edward's office for 3 hours before Bella took pity on him and told him Edward would not be back to the office until after his charity project was complete.

Obviously there was only one thing to do. He gave up on his attempts to talk with Edward in private.

* * *

><p>Edward debated between work boots for a few minutes before calling Emmett. His brother would know which looked more appropriate for a construction site.<p>

"Which ones are more comfortable?"

"The black ones."

"Take the black ones, Ed. They'll go better with those jeans and that shirt. I'm sure Alice would agree."

Emmett was moments away from laughing his ass off, so Edward muttered an embarrassed 'thanks' and hung up before his brother could get going. He had been leaning toward the brown for their more "construction worker" look, and he felt foolish that he hadn't seriously considered the comfort of his footwear to be the most important trait. He bought the boots and returned home to pack.

A few hours later, Edward looked at himself in the mirror and grimaced. He looked like one of the village people. He threw the hardhat against a wall, muttering darkly about meddlesome sex fiends. His frustration with Jasper and self-loathing only flared up when he thought about the other man (which happened often enough to cause his wrist to become strained from all the stress relief he'd been doing, and it wasn't stress balls he was squeezing, if you catch my drift). For the most part he was just embarrassed by the entire fiasco. When he got back from Texas, maybe he would talk to Jasper and find out why the other man had slept with him. Right now, he needed space. He would wait until he hadn't thought of Jasper for an entire day before confronting the blond. At present, he was libel to simply jump on the older man wantonly if he spent more than five seconds of polite conversation with him. Fuck, he had worked from home just to avoid bumping into the persistent blond. Edward couldn't lose control; he'd worked too hard to get over James and Felix. He would _not _be a victim. He growled at his appearance once more.

Edward tore off the stupid green flannel work shirt that Alice had advised him to wear, claiming that it would bring out the color in his eyes. He pulled the undershirt off over his head and donned a dark green Henley, leaving the buttons unbuttoned and pushing the sleeves up to his elbows. It was much more comfortable than the stuffy flannel anyway. He checked the clothes in his bag for the sixth time, making sure he had enough for a week (including a tight pair of jeans and v-neck long-sleeved t-shirt that would not be appropriate for a workplace, because he might loosen up while he was away).

Edward slipped on his more comfortable converses and tucked the boots into the suitcase. He also took off the tool belt and retrieved the hard hat from the floor, packing them as well. He examined himself in the mirror and sighed. Edward Cullen was not going to contribute $100,000 worth of work in the meager span of three weeks. Jasper over paid. Thank god it was for charity. He imagined Jasper paying $100,000 for _other _services and his entire body flushed. If Jasper were gay and interested, Edward would be more than happy to perform any services _pro bono_. Edward cringed at the horrible pun he'd mentally made and vowed never to tell it to Emmett.

Now if Edward could just get through the next 3 weeks without killing himself or wrecking the shelter, he'd count his volunteerism a success. The thought made him laugh bitterly. He would probably make a fool of himself, and on top of it all, there would be a documentary crew filming the entire thing. It was for PR, not that Edward was going to be a shining example of a volunteer.

He clenched his fists and raised his chin, staring at himself defiantly. He was a Cullen. He could and would meet this challenge head on. Nobody would be able to claim he didn't give his best effort. Hopefully he could at least inspire someone to volunteer who would be able to contribute more than he could. Jasper Whitlock wouldn't make a fool out of him, not twice in one lifetime.

* * *

><p>Edward arrived at the airport a couple hours early and looked up at the gray sky, hoping that there would be no bad weather. He hated being behind schedule, and it would be a crummy start to his volunteer work if he showed up late for his very first shift. As it was, he had to take a 3 am flight to Dallas in order to make sure he would get to the site by 7. The shelter was close to the airport, on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't technically in Dallas, but it was close enough that residents in trouble would be able to avail themselves of its facilities.<p>

Edward visited one of the 3 Starbucks he passed in the terminal and got a black coffee. He was gay, but he took his coffee like a man. Edward preferred the darker flavor of black coffee. He wondered absently if they could add something to coffee that would rival Jasper Whitlock's unique flavor. He disregarded the thought immediately, pissed that he had already failed in his now daily goal to not think of Jasper Whitlock (He had yet to be awake for more than 4 hours without thinking of the blond. Some days he didn't even make it out of bed.)

Edward paced through a bookstore, noting that all the available titles were lame. Some days he couldn't believe the crap people read. He bought a pack of gum, since the coffee would make his breath bad and he was determined to be as good a volunteer as he possibly could. Minty breath was one thing he could guarantee.

Edward sighed and dropped his coffee cup into a trash can by the gate he needed to wait at. He sat down in the exquisitely uncomfortable chair and opened up his backpack. He pulled out a graphic novel and his glasses, then shifted uncomfortably for a second, surreptitiously checking out the other people waiting with him. He was aware that he'd just increased his geek factor by an embarrassingly large amount.

He didn't see any dirty looks and quickly buried his nose into the comic, killing time until his plane arrived.

"Mind if I sit here?" A voice asked. Edward looked up to see who was talking to him. It was a tall man with dark skin and eyes. He smiled at Edward, flashing perfect teeth and held out a hand, "I'm Jake, Jacob Black. I'm the director of the documentary crew. You are Edward Cullen, right?" The man eyed Edward up and down, making him nervous. He nodded self-consciously and looked back to his graphic novel. Jake plopped into the seat beside Edward.

"They didn't tell me you were a nerd, but I think I can work with it." Edward looked up sharply and Jake laughed, "Just kidding, I actually like the Clark Kent vibe you have going. You could totally pass for a superhero, one of the unlikely ones like Peter Parker." Jake nudged Edward with a shoulder and Edward got the uncomfortable feeling that the other man was attempting to flirt with him. He resisted the urge to squirm or change seats. At least he wouldn't have to deal with this on the plane.

It wasn't that Jake wasn't an attractive individual, but the dark brooding type was way too close to Felix, _and not nearly close enough to Jasper,_ added his traitorous mind. How to shut down someone who's flirting with you without causing a scene?...

While Edward mulled through his options, the plane began to board. Edward had a first-class ticket, his last concession to wealth on this trip. He was staying at the same crappy motel as the contract crew (all of the other volunteers were local) and he would scrounge what food was available from takeout menus or delivery services. Edward intended to give the press as little ammunition as possible to smear him with. He sighed in relief when a young woman sat next to him. He looked out the window and didn't turn when he heard Jake clear his voice behind him. Perhaps the other man would leave him alone.

Edward leaned against the edge of his seat, struck by a sudden, brilliant idea; Jake wouldn't bother a sleeping man. He waited for a few minutes and Jake was ushered away by a stewardess, strike that, air hostess or whatever the hell people called them. Edward sighed mentally. He would have to tell Jake that he wasn't interested, he didn't mind the telling, he just wished that Jake had been someone he _was _remotely attracted to. Perhaps he would have been able to stop obsessing about Jasper if that were the case. Edward rubbed his eyes tiredly, clearly his idea of not thinking of Jasper was suffering, this was the third time today and it wasn't even 3 in the morning. Edward waited patiently for takeoff so that he could sleep through the flight.

Perhaps he could restart his no-Jasper mission when he got to Texas, after all, 3 am was practically still the previous day for many people. Yesterday had been one of the most embarrassing slips, he'd accidentally thought of Jasper when he was in the shower. His mind and hands had betrayed him and he'd actually panted out the other man's name in a horrifyingly needy way as he came all over the shower wall. Yes, he would start over when he set down. New state, new day. Maybe he'd find a hot cowboy to take his mind off of Jasper.

* * *

><p><em>Edward felt a pair of rough hands roaming his shoulders and he leaned into the touch. His glasses had fallen down on the bridge of his nose as he read, and he pushed them up with two fingers. The hands continued to rub his shoulders. Edward looked at the strong, nimble fingers and his gaze moved up bare forearms, resting on muscular shoulders for a moment. He knew this body. He took in all of Jasper's form, sweaty and all man. <em>

_They were in Edward's bedroom, dark sheets stark contrast against the light walls. The blond was wearing the same workout clothes Edward had seen him in at Emmett's house. Jasper dropped his hands to his sides and hooked one under the hem of his sleeveless shirt, pulling it swiftly over his head in one quick twist. Edward groaned as the chiseled expanse of Jasper's chest was revealed. A single drop of sweat worked its way down Jasper's cheek, sliding under his strong jaw. The bead of perspiration continued its path down Jasper's neck and rested briefly in the hollow of his throat. It moved on and Edward was completely transfixed as it made a small rivulet down Jasper's chest, between his perfect pecs. It stopped when it reached Jasper's navel and Edward sighed in disappointment. The drop seemed to react to Edward's arousal, peeking out of the dip in Jasper's stomach and plunging downward into the soft blond curls that started just below Jasper's navel and disappeared in the waistband of his shorts. As the single drop of sweat connected with Jasper's shorts, Edward looked back up to Jasper's face. His green eyes met hooded blue as Jasper devoured him. The bigger man seemed to be stripping Edward bare, laying aside the layers of pain and fear and searching deeper. Jasper smiled warmly._

"_It's up to you, Edward, I'll accept whatever you will give me. Take all of me that you want."_

_He held out a hand to Edward and the redhead reached tentatively out, "Why would you want me? I'm… I'm just Edward."_

"_You're everything I want, Edward, everything I need. Give me a chance?" Jasper's eyes were sad as he realized Edward wouldn't close the final gap. He sighed and turned away._

"_I-I can't do it, Jasper. I can't get hurt like that again. How do you know I won't leave? I'm not enough. I'm never enough." A tear escaped from Edward's eye and he roughly brushed it away, pain mixing with fury and doubt. Another tear slipped down his face and as he tried to wipe it away, his wrist was caught by a strong grip. Edward looked up at Jasper, tears clouding his vision, and Jasper pulled him close, burying the younger man's face in his warm chest. _

"_Give me a chance, Edward." He repeated. Edward's tears flowed freely as he accepted the comfort of the beautiful man in front of him. Jasper held Edward until the tears stopped, and Edward was suddenly very much aware of the warm skin beneath his touch. He gave in to his desire and pulled away, meeting Jasper's tender gaze. _

"_Yes." He said simply, and wrapped his arms around the blond's neck, pulling him close for a passionate kiss. Jasper let Edward set the pace, matching him touch for touch. Their lips danced and Edward's tongue requested entrance to Jasper's mouth. The bigger man complied instantly and their tongues collided. Edward moaned while caressing Jasper's tongue as the two men explored each other. Jasper gently sucked on Edward's tongue while his hands fisted in the younger man's t-shirt. Edward wanted to feel Jasper's skin on his and his hands roamed down Jasper's back, trying to convey the message without breaking the kiss._

_Jasper's need matched Edward's, and he gripped Edward's shirt in his hands, pulling sharply. Edward felt the fabric rip and drop away and he surged against Jasper, chest meeting chest. Edward pushed Jasper down onto the bed and straddled him. Jasper thrust upward against Edward, their cocks collided and Edward writhed at the sensation. Edward pulled his glasses off, but Jasper reached up and took them from his hand, sliding them back on._

"_Don't take them off, Edward, they're sexy as fuck." His voice was rough with desire. Edward shivered as Jasper's hands traveled down his chest, brushing his sensitive nipples and caressing his abs, "What do you want, Edward?" Jasper's hands came to rest on Edward's hips, gently gripping as he continued to thrust against the younger man. Edward moaned, trying to voice the depth of his need for the other man through a fog of sensation and lust. His slim body arched and thrust as he tried to create more friction. He gasped as Jasper's hands gripped harder and pulled him closer. Jasper growled at the sound and his hands moved up to Edward's bare back, pulling him down for another kiss. _

_Edward knew what he wanted, he grabbed the waistband of Jasper's shorts and pulled roughly, exposing inch after inch of –_

* * *

><p>"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are descending to DallasFort Worth International Airport, The local time is 7:43 and the temperature is 67 degrees. The weather is clear and forecast call for sunshine and daytime temperatures around 90 degrees. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened and your trays in the upright position until the plane comes to a full and complete stop. Thank you for flying United."

Edward was _not_ dreaming about Jasper, his attempts to forget the blond were not in jeopardy, and he would pointedly _not _be thinking about the other man while the plane came to rest. Edward was _not _sexually frustrated and throbbing, he did _not _regret that the dream had ended when it had. He ran a hand through his hair, not really caring that he was mussing it even more. His leg bounced restlessly as he waited for the plane to finish its sluggish journey toward the gate.

Finally, the air hostess's voice came over the intercom informing the passengers that the pilot had turned off the fasten seatbelt sign. They needed to retrieve their personal belongings and could exit the plane at their leisure.

Edward was the twelfth person to disembark from the plane, one of the many perks of flying first class. He made his way out of the gate to the terminal, locating the baggage carousel and identifying the right one for his flight. He waited for twenty minutes while the rest of the passengers deplaned and the ground crew unloaded luggage.

Fifteen minutes later, Edward decided his bag had not made it to Dallas. Auspicious start to what promised to be a wonderful day.

He turned around and Jake was waiting for him. The copper skinned man grinned and waved, "No luggage?" He asked, Edward scowled.

"Apparently not," Edward grumbled and slung his backpack over one shoulder.

Jake shrugged, "Nothing vital, I hope." Edward shook his head. He had lost nothing that couldn't be easily replaced, though he didn't really relish the thought of working in his converses. They walked out of the terminal together, only to be met by two men who bore striking ethnic resemblance to Jake.

"Edward Cullen, this is Quil Aetara and Embry Call, they're my camera and sound crew." Edward nodded to the bright faced young men.

"Jake, we have a van in the parking lot if you guys want to come with us." Jake led the way toward the van and Edward was about to follow when a hand restrained him. He turned, maybe someone had found his luggage and followed after him.

His eyes travelled up from the ground, drinking in the sight before him. There were black cowboy boots, sinfully tight jeans, a blue flannel shirt that somehow did look fucking hot, and a white undershirt. The ensemble was completed by a black cowboy hat covering a head of wavy blond hair and shading a pair of dancing blue eyes. Edward gaped at Jasper Whitlock, torn between demanding an answer and simply ravishing the cowboy.

**A/N I'm stopping here, I was going to have the whole confrontation, but I think the cliffie works better :D see you next time.**


	5. Chapter 5: Down in Texas

**A/N This is a short chapter, but I wanted to get it up today, and I had a limited time frame. I'll post again on Friday. **

**Rated M, don't read if you're under 18**

**Stephanie Meyer owns twilight**

**This is a slash story, don't like, don't read.  
><strong>

Chapter 5 – Down in Texas

Edward came completely undone as he stared at the man in front of him. He thought sweaty Jasper was sexy, and he was, but then Edward had seen suit Jasper at the party and he'd nearly been blown away. Edward actually thought his brain might be melting as he took in fucking cowboy Jasper. God, what if Jasper rode horses? Would Edward ever be able to watch that and not get hard? Not judging by the uncomfortable tightness in his pants.

Jasper started to grow uncomfortable as Edward stared. The younger man was incredibly hot in street clothes. The dark green shirt hugged him in all the right places, and the flesh peaking out of the open collar hinted at the muscled torso beneath. Jasper willed Edward to listen. If he could just have 5 minutes, he could try to explain, "I didn't know if you had a ride from the airport." Edward blinked.

"Huh? … I'm here with the cowboy, err… camera crew." Edward blushed, but Jasper chose to ignore the slip.

"Is there any chance you'd let me explain? apologize?" Edward's brain was stuck on a mantra: must not have sex in public, no public sex. His body was having quite a different opinion and he wasn't sure which would win. He decided it would be better to avoid having to wait for the war to finish.

While he didn't want to cause a public scene, he was also relatively certain that he couldn't physically distance himself from Jasper until he was more under control. Edward was great at snap decisions. He decided the only reasonable course of action would be to go with Jasper. Everything would be fine.

"Talking, yeah… Let's go." Jasper was shocked that Edward was being so agreeable, "Do you have a car?" Jasper grinned.

"I have a truck." Edward almost moaned, but stopped himself at the last moment, "You can't pull a horse trailer safely with a car, so I had to go with the truck, or I would have no way to attend rodeo events." Jasper had figured out that the effect his outfit had on Edward was well beyond what he expected or hoped for, perhaps he could get Edward to jump him again.

"Huuu… Rodeo?" the question came out half strangled and Edward quickly looked away from the blond, trying not to envision the powerful cowboy straddling a raging… he failed.

They reached Jasper's truck and Edward waited for the other man to unlock the doors. Jasper popped the locks and Edward pulled open the cab. He stepped up to the seat, but hesitated as he realized there was something sitting on the passenger's side seat. It was a belt buckle the shape of Texas, it said "Everything's Bigger in Texas." Jasper saw the belt buckle on Edward's seat a split second later. He grabbed it and threw it in the back. His face tinged with red. He hadn't known whether the reaction to the belt buckle would make him seem like some sort of sex monster to Edward, so he'd opted to forgo it until after the talk.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Edward's voice was high pitched and frantic. He was trying to do anything but focus on whether or not Jasper would be bigger in Texas. Edward hoped he would.

"Um yeah… I, uh… I talked with Emmett, and I found out a little about what he's told y'all about me." Oh god, his accent was thicker in Texas. Edward squirmed on his seat, immensely glad for the backpack on his lap. They both closed their doors and Jasper started the truck, pulling out of the parking space, "I just wanted to set the record straight about that, and then apologize for a couple things."

Edward traced circles on the door, not wanting to have any more mental images of Jasper gripping things, Jasper in the cowboy outfit, Jasper in a truck. Edward needed to control himself. Jasper just wanted to defend himself; he wasn't trying to start something.

"First of all, I'm gay." Edward's head snapped around so quickly he worried he might have given himself whiplash. Jasper's eyes were on the road, but he was obviously serious. Edward didn't have the guts to say anything. He would probably blurt nonsense if he opened his mouth at this point. Either that or propose something dirty.

"I asked Emmett to keep it a secret from your family, because I was young and I didn't want anyone to hold more crap against me." By 'anyone' Jasper obviously meant Esme. Edward was almost tempted to tell him Esme had virtually forgiven him and thought rather highly of his successes. There was the brain melt situation, though, so Edward saved that for later.

"I don't just go around hooking up with everyone I meet. I've been in exactly 7 relationships in my life, and I've never once had a one night stand." Jasper fidgeted, "well, aside from the night you left." He didn't want to make Edward uncomfortable, but he needed the lead in to the next part of his explanation.

He needn't have worried. Edward was freaking out about how stupid it was to walk out on the sexy cowboy. He was worried that Jasper had only slept with him to calm him down or keep him from driving. Oh god, it was a pity fuck. Edward had been reduced to a pity fuck.

"I want to apologize for a couple things, Edward, if you'll let me." Edward nodded glumly, face red with embarrassment and his perfectly torturous arousal, "I'm sorry I didn't call you the next day. I thought you snuck out because you were embarrassed to be around me. I should have called anyway. I'm really sorry about the auction. I fucked up entirely. I wasn't thinking, I just wanted to get back at you. I'm sorry I've been stalking you for the past week. I just needed to get this out there, and I thought it would be easier in Seattle. I never intended to make things this hard."

Edward groaned as Jasper's words mind fucked all rational thought away. Jasper misinterpreted the groan and hastened to clarify, "I don't expect you to forgive me. I wanted to get it all out there, explain myself, and tell you that I don't regret what happened, I only regret how it happened." Edward was pretty sure the last words he'd said were lust-induced dementia. He wasn't sure if he could actually string words together to form a sentence. After Jasper stopped introducing images into his head, Edward slowly recovered from his addled state. Jasper waited patiently for Edward to either accept his apology or reject him. They still had a few minutes until they reached the site.

"You… don't regret sleeping with me?" Edward squirmed a little in his seat. Jasper looked at him sidelong.

"No."

Edward processed this. Was it possible that Jasper wanted him? Had there been signs? Edward never remembered Jasper paying him much attention, but he'd only been around a couple times and Edward had always been worried that Jasper would get him worked up, so Edward had avoided the other man whenever possible.

"I didn't intend to take advantage of you, Edward. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I should have stopped. You were drunk, and I've…" Jasper paused, not sure if he should complete the thought. Edward's breath hitched. Jasper didn't want to fuck anything up, so he had to be completely honest.

"I've thought about you ever since you came into Emmett's room with no shirt when you were 16. I like you Edward, and I want to get to know you."

Edward had not expected anything close to this level of candor. He wasn't sure how to process what Jasper had just said. Apparently, Jasper had liked Edward for almost as long Edward had liked Jasper. It was only weeks before the incident in Emmett's room that Edward saw Jasper lounging next to the pool, tan and muscled and perfect. Edward had always been fascinated by Jasper, but it was only then that he realized it went deeper than curiosity. He started to have fantasies about Jasper, and so he tried to distance himself, avoiding the other man whenever possible. He realized how it must have seemed to Jasper.

"Oh…" Edward said softly, "Jasper, you didn't take advantage of me. I was drunk, but I wanted you. I've wanted you for so long, and I knew you wouldn't ever be interested. I shouldn't have left. Can we start over?"

"Sure thing, darlin'" Edward resisted the urge to molest Jasper, looking out the window as emotion welled up. His eyes prickled and he had the goofiest grin on his face. Suddenly a thought struck him.

"Jasper, why are you here, in Texas?"

"I have some work to do. I heard you were coming in and I knew where the site was, so I thought I could give you a ride. I'm just glad you're not still avoiding me." Jasper gave Edward a significant look and Edward blushed.

"I.. erm… I didn't want to… to lose control. I wasn't mad. I was… erm… horny?" Jasper wanted nothing more than to stop the truck and make Edward lose control, but he remembered what Emmett said about taking things slowly. He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Edward, I don't want to seem horribly forward, but… would you go on a date with me?" He gave the younger man a lopsided grin. Edward considered it for a moment.

"You want to… date me?" Edward was hopeful, but confused.

"Edward, I don't want you to freak out on me, can you promise that you'll listen to everything I have to say before you react?" Edward narrowed his eyes, happy feelings evaporating. He nodded his head, "After you talked with Emmett last week, he was worried. He thought your reaction to me was odd, so he tracked down one of your friends," Edward stiffened. He tried to keep his cool, but his face started to heat, "Edward, I don't know what they told him, but he let me know that you've been hurt." Edward opened his mouth to shout at Jasper, but Jasper touched his face gently and Edward stopped, momentarily stunned by the tenderness.

"Edward, he didn't tell me what he knows. He only said that people you dated in the past treated you wrongly, and I don't want to be that guy. I'm not asking you to share your life history, just try not to freak out."

"Emmett had no right—" Edward began hotly, Jasper stroked his cheek.

"Edward, he was worried about you, he's your brother."

"That doesn't mean that he should sneak around my back," Edward said sullenly, "He could have just asked."

Jasper looked at him, "Are you suggesting that you would have shared? From what Emmett told me, you haven't volunteered any information to your family about any of your relationships." Edward sat back.

"Edward, if it was Emmett who had been hurt, or Alice… what would you do?"

Edward's eyes widened as he considered what he might do if he found out someone had treated his siblings like James and Felix treated him, "I'd fucking kill someone." He said truthfully. Jasper caught one of Edward's hands in his own.

"I won't ever push you, Edward. I want to be a good guy, and I want to show you how you deserve to be treated. I want to make you giddy and happy. You're worth all the time it takes for me to redeem myself."

Edward was contemplating how he could answer Jasper, set the record straight, but just then they pulled up to a construction site.

"We're here." Edward looked out dubiously, noting several news vans.

"Time to face the music," he sighed, "I hate media."

"I'm sorry." Jasper squeezed Edward's hand. Edward threw him a dirty look.

"Just because I agreed to a date doesn't mean you get off the hook for the auction stunt with a simple apology, Whitlock," Jasper gulped, "I'll get you back, just wait." Edward went to hop out of the truck, but realized his shoes were not suitable. He'd also lost his belt and hard hat in the luggage snafu.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath, Jasper hopped out and turned back to the truck.

"Something wrong, darling'?" he drawled, hooking his thumbs into his belt loops. Edward looked at him then swallowed, sexy cowboy images danced through his mind.

"I lost my luggage," he explained, "I left my work boots in my bag, and I'm wearing sneakers." Jasper smiled lazily.

"What size shoe are you?"

"11," Edward answered.

"I just so happen to have another pair of boots. They're not technically work boots, though they're just as protective. Your size, too." Jasper's smile turned into a grin. He pulled out a pair of brown cowboy boots and Edward gulped. He wasn't sure he was ready to be swapping clothes with Jasper, but the alternative was to go in sneaker feet. He didn't want to crush toes or step on nails. He took the boots with a rough 'thanks.' Edward bent over to untie his shoes, presenting his ass to Jasper. The blond groaned throatily, and Edward straightened, throwing a guilty look over his shoulder.

"Don't tease me, Edward," Jasper said thickly, "I'm tryin' to be a gentleman." Edward marveled that he had any sort of effect on Jasper. He hopped up in the truck to untie his shoes. He pulled on the boots and hopped out of the truck once more. He slammed the door and Jasper grabbed his belt and one other item before closing his own door behind him. He slipped the belt on and fastened it, then turned to find Edward.

Edward leaned against the hood of the truck, hoping the press wouldn't notice him so he could have a couple more seconds of reprieve, "How do I look, Cowboy?" he asked Jasper in a terrible drawl. Jasper looked him up and down, taking in his dark jeans, deep green shirt and the cowboy boots. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Your accent is atrocious, and there's somethin' missin'…" He made a slow circle around the front of the truck. Edward stayed where he was, and Jasper came up behind him. Edward resisted the temptation to turn around or press himself back into Jasper's hard body. He tingled with anticipation. Jasper tipped his hat back and swiftly kissed the side of Edward's neck before pulling away and plopping a hat on the younger man's head.

Edward looked positively sinful from behind, then he turned around, a blinding smile on his face, and Jasper's heart skipped a beat. Edward was so beautiful. He also seemed completely unaware of his own beauty, which only served to enhance it.

"Perfect," Jasper said quietly.

Edward gave Jasper the same once over, then his eyes rested on the belt and widened. Jasper grinned shyly, "I wasn't sure if I should wear it to meet you. Didn't want to send the wrong message if you were still mad."

Edward let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "No crossed wires here, Jasper." He stepped toward Jasper, reaching out his hands to draw the blond into a kiss, but Jasper stepped away, hands behind his back. Edward frowned at him, but Jasper was looking over the redhead's shoulder.

"Your public awaits, Edward. Unless you intend on giving them a show…" he trailed off, and Edward thought about just that, but he didn't want to get ahead of himself, not like he had with James and Felix. He was older now, but no more experienced, and his self-confidence had never really recovered from the assholes he'd dated previously. He nodded and let his hands drop.

Edward composed himself and turned to face the cameras, publicity mask on. He was accosted by 5 reporters from various local network stations, and the documentary crew trailed after them, though they didn't ask any questions. Edward answered a few basic questions as he made his way to the frame of the building they were to construct. It was little more than a foundation, but already there were several people cobbling together what would become a functional shelter in a little under a month. Once he reached the building, he attempted to extricate himself from the press. They kept asking questions, but he refused to answer, hoping they would back off. Finally an older man in worn work clothes came out and shouted for silence.

"This is a construction area." He called out, "Anyone not volunteering on this here house needs to skedaddle. It's not safe to have that equipment in here, and all you people are just going to get in the way." The reporters grumbled, but Edward turned to them.

"You all know I'm here to work. I can't help out if I'm constantly answering questions. I'll only speak with the press before 7 am or after 5 pm for the duration of this project. If you don't respect the spirit of this charitable endeavor, I will inform your supervisors and the authorities and have you forcibly removed. This is for the safety of you, the press, as well as for the safety of every volunteer. I refuse to be responsible for hindering this project. If you can't handle these rules, speak up now."

Edward was happy he'd developed such a thick skin. He was doubly satisfied when nobody protested. He turned to the man and held out a hand, "I apologize for their behavior, I'm Edward Cullen, and I'm here to work."

"I'm Joe," he said, and gave Edward a quick once-over, grimacing at the hat and the shirt, "You need a hard hat, don't suppose you brought one…" Edward frowned a little.

"My luggage was lost on the way here. I hope to have it by tomorrow, but my hat was in it, as were all the rest of my clothes." The man nodded, face clearing a bit.

"You need to wear an undershirt. That monstrosity is going to be a furnace." He gestured to Edward's Henley, "Remember that for tomorrow. White undershirt with some sort of over-shirt to wear until the temperature rises. If you have a getup like that, you'll get heatstroke by the middle of the day. For today, you can go shirtless, I suppose, but an undershirt is safer. You don't have to worry about the sun, but they're light enough that you don't overheat." Edward nodded, annoyed that I hadn't listened to Alice's wardrobe advice. The hat was unavoidable, but he should have taken her word for the undershirt and flannel. It was still relatively cool, so he didn't immediately remove his shirt, but he took off the hat. Edward realized that he didn't know where Jasper was working while he was down here. Maybe he could get Jasper's number from Emmett and call him. Edward also realized he hadn't given Jasper his number. Jasper had no way to call Edward for their date.

Edward apologized to Joe, "I need to return the hat to its owner, I'll be right back." He headed to the parking lot, hoping that Jasper hadn't left yet. He was in luck. Jasper's truck was still in the lot. Edward saw no sign of the blond, but put the hat in the front seat. He also found a sheet of paper and scribbled down his cell phone number, letting Jasper know when he would be free from working on the shelter. Jasper hadn't returned by the time Jasper finished, and he set the paper on the driver's seat and shut the door.

Edward returned quickly to the construction site. He found a table with hard hats and swiped one, placing it firmly on his head. He looked around for Joe and found the older man quickly. Joe was shaping some wood for a railing, "Are you in charge here, Joe?" Edward asked, "I need something to do." Joe shook his head and paused in his task for a moment.

"You need to talk to the foreman. I'm not sure if he's arrived yet. Until he comes down to the site, you can start by hauling boards from out front. I need 3 of the twelve foot lengths of 2x6s." Edward nodded; glad he'd learned a little about lumber from his father. He trotted off to procure the correct boards. Edward found out that Joe was one of 3 skilled laborers provided by the contracting company. He was the carpenter, and there was also an electrician and an architect. Joe kept him running around for the next fifteen minutes before the two found out that the foreman was already on site. Apparently he was speaking with the electrician and would be by to talk to Joe in a few minutes.

The sun was starting to warm up, so Edward peeled off the Henley that was damp with sweat. He continued to run errands for Joe for a few more minutes, finding the fetching and carrying satisfying in its simplicity. He enjoyed the physical labor, maybe he'd even develop some muscle mass.

Edward kept himself in shape, but he'd never been bulky, he was slim and toned. He thought of Jasper's chest and arms enviously. Edward felt his cock begin to stiffen and pushed thoughts of Jasper away. Hopefully the blond would call Edward tonight, and then they could go on a date. Edward would wait until he had the real thing in front of him, he didn't need fantasies.

Edward dropped off the latest load of lumber; sure he'd carried half a forest in from the yard outside. Joe didn't even check to make sure he'd gotten the right kind.

"Foreman just stopped by; he wants to see you in the kitchen." Joe gestured to one door frame that led to the correct room. Edward nodded and walked through the door, traversing the incomplete hallway toward the foreman. He hoped he wasn't too much of a disappointment. Edward entered the empty kitchen and looked around, not seeing anyone.

"…and tell the supplier we need the shingles by next week. There's supposed to be a storm brewing, and I want to get the roof finished quickly so that we can…" Edward heard a familiar voice approaching and as it broke into the open room, it trailed off with an intake of breath.

Jasper didn't expect Edward to be sweaty and shirtless. His cock sprang to attention as he took in the body he'd been fantasizing about for almost a month. The look on Edward's face was somewhere between surprise and embarrassment, and his body flushed down past his neck as Jasper devoured him with a searing gaze.

"Great…" Edward said, "I suppose _you're _the foreman?"

Jasper reined in his raging hormones and grinned, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cullen, I'm Jasper Whitlock. I'll be in charge for the next 3 weeks."


	6. Chapter 6: Unresolved Sexual Tension

**A/N As usual, don't read this if you're under 18**

**Stephanie Meyer owns all of Twilight**

**Unbeta'd, so all the mistakes are mine, and I found quite a few in last chapter, some of which I might have time to fix when I post this chapter.**

Chapter 6 – Unresolved Sexual Tension

Edward

_Does brain melting kill you? If so, I'm probably terminal_

Jasper in a sweaty, dirty undershirt… Jasper bending over… Jasper drinking from a water bottle… Jasper pouring water on his head…

For the past 5 hours, Edward had been hyper-aware of the fact that Jasper Whitlock was on the construction site, and would be for 3 weeks. He also kept getting glances of Jasper that redirected his blood-flow dramatically. To make matters worse, there was a documentary crew who was going to be filming him for portions of every workday. They'd been hanging around for 3 hours or so, ever since they finished with their initial set up shots.

After 'meeting' Jasper in the kitchen, Edward had been assigned to nail gun duty. Jasper had sent him off with Joe to learn about stud finding, and how to attach sheetrock properly. (Edward was relatively certain he had the stud finding down, I mean, look at Jasper. Edward could find Jasper in a pitch black room with only the sense of smell.) Edward had never had to do construction work, so he paid close attention to everything Joe said. He was especially attentive once he learned that the nail gun operated on a resistance trigger. That meant that if it was on, and you leaned the head against anything (say a leg or shoe) it would shoot out a nail. The contraption also weighed about 20 pounds.

After the first hour hoisting it up, Edward's arms began to grow weary. Sweat dripped off his limbs and down his back. Joe stopped by to make sure Edward was managing and actually complimented the quality of work. Edward was a perfectionist by nature, and even though the boards were rough and the gun felt like an anvil, he was diligent in his measurements and made sure he wouldn't compromise the quality of the building. Joe advised Edward to take a break, so Edward shut down the air pump that ran the gun and set it down gingerly. Joe told him where the tent had been set up with plenty of water and shade and told Edward to take 15 minutes off.

While Edward was on break, he noticed Jasper walking around the perimeter of the building. Sometime after Edward had last seen him, Jasper had doffed his outer shirt, and his arms rippled with muscle and gleamed with sweat as he carried a massive beam toward the house. Edward's jaw slackened as he took in Jasper's extremely low slung jeans and the way the undershirt clung to his sweat-soaked torso. Jasper disappeared into the structure. Edward realized that if he hadn't been on break, he would have seen Jasper up close. He practically salivated while plotting ways of ending his break early without Joe getting angry. Edward knew the breaks were necessary to maintain a safe working environment, but the slow march of time made him itch to get closer to Jasper.

As the 15 minutes crawled by, Jasper kept making trips in and out of the building, carrying in beams that would help to support the roof. Edward's eyes were locked onto the tall blond every time. Once, Jasper had a bad grip and jumped back, letting the board fall. He bent over to pick up the beam and Edward moaned at the view. Jasper retrieved the board and disappeared inside once more. This time, he didn't come back out. Edward looked at his watch and realized that his time was up. He wiped the sweat off his body with a towel and slathered on some more sun-block before returning to the house to pick up his nail gun duty once more.

Edward worked for half an hour before his arms grew sore. He set the gun down and stood, stretching out so that he could prepare for the next round of sheeting. He glanced out at the break area and saw Jasper. The blond had his hair caught back behind his head and he was drinking from a water bottle. Edward felt his pants grow tighter as he watched Jasper's adam's apple bob up and down with each swallow. Jasper's undershirt was nearly transparent with sweat, and Edward could see his nipples, dark against the light fabric. Edward thought it was the sexiest image in the world, but then, Jasper lifted the water bottle up and tilted it out over his face and hair. The undershirt was soaked and clung to Jasper's muscles like a second skin; Edward groaned and took off his hardhat, running his hands through his hair so that they wouldn't be free to wander down to his crotch. He felt his entire body flush with arousal as he watched the blond shake pull the elastic from his hair and shake it out, spraying drops of water everywhere.

Jasper was unaware of the effect he was having on Edward. Jasper had been around sweaty, shirtless construction workers enough to be adept at avoiding temptation. The fact that Edward was on his site, shirtless, and undoubtedly sweaty was already affecting the blond, but he'd managed to time his trips for supplies and his break so that he wouldn't see Edward if he didn't look for the other man. Jasper couldn't afford the distraction of looking. Not when he was trying to take things slow.

Edward saw Jasper settling his hard hat back on and turned to his sheetrock quickly, not wanting to be caught ogling the foreman. Jake and the documentary crew soon came into the site to find Edward. They were tasked with capturing some of the work Edward did every day. They'd gotten some shots of the young man hauling lumber around and had met with the rest of the workers, one by one. They would gather testimonials from each as the weeks drew on. Luckily, there was an informal rotation of break times so that only 2 or 3 people were off the site at once. For the first two hours, every fifteen minutes more volunteers would take their breaks. Part of this was to give their muscles a rest, but more importantly, it allowed everyone a chance to cool down every few hours so they could avoid heat exhaustion.

"Hey, Edward," Jake greeted the redhead amiably. He had been looking forward to getting a chance to film the young businessman. Edward was notoriously press-shy, though he was very good on camera. Jake had a small crush on the redhead, and relished the three weeks he would spend with Edward, filming him and interacting for hours every day.

Nobody knew if Edward dated. There were rumors about TanyaDenali, but the two were never seen together in public outside of company functions. Edward was rumored to be celibate, gay, or a clandestine fetishist (depending on who you asked).

Edward had been expecting this interaction, and as much as he felt his volunteer work was suffering, he was determined to put his best foot forward and cooperate fully with the documentarians. The last thing he or the company needed was an angry filmmaker casting him as some sort of coldhearted bastard or snob.

"Mr. Black," Edward set the tool down and turned with a smile, very aware that his less-than-impressive physique was on display.

Jacob disagreed with Edward, gaze lingering a little too long on the bare chest of the businessman-turned-construction worker. Jake flicked his eyes back up to Edward's politely distant expression, "You've been on site for several hours, Mr. Cullen, what is your impression so far?" Edward thought about the people he'd met.

"The professionals on site definitely know what they're doing. It seems like there's a good balance between skilled and unskilled labor. When I arrived, I started out by simply bringing in boards so that Joe, the carpenter, could continue his detailed craft without having to worry about materials. The foreman, Jasper Whitlock, told me to report to Joe, and ever since, I've been affixing sheetrock to the walls."

Jake nodded, enjoying the detailed and informative answer, "What are your impressions of the other volunteers?"

Edward again considered his answer for a moment, "I've only met a handful of people so far, but it's obvious that they all feel passionately about the shelter. They come from all walks of life, there's a 15 year old high school student, a 60 year old retiree, a single mother, a former construction worker. There are many jobs that don't require more than a few minutes training. There are 17 volunteers and only 4 professionals on the site. We could probably even double the number of volunteers without running out of things to do."

Jake gestured to the wall behind Edward, "Could you explain to us what you are doing currently?"

Edward grinned, "Sure thing, step into my office," he turned around, picking up the inactive nail gun, "The walls are constructed of lumber with crossbeams for stability. Once the frame is up, if there isn't a need to put in plumbing or wiring, boards are put up in between the beams, insulation is rolled on, and the walls are covered with sheetrock. I'm using an air powered nail gun to fasten the sheetrock to the vertical beams in the walls. It's easy work. Anyone who can lift 20 pounds can do it. All you need is a ruler and a cautious sense of self-preservation."

"Why a cautious sense of self-preservation?"

Edward turned on the air to the gun and used the same example for the crew that Joe had used to teach him about the nail gun. He picked up a piece of scrap wood and lightly touched the nail gun to the surface of the shard. The wood blasted out of his hand as a nail punched into it, "The nail gun is extremely pressure sensitive. It cuts down on the force needed to wield it, but if you aren't careful, you could end up punching a hole in your leg or foot." Jake gulped and nodded. He motioned for the camera crew to cut filming and held a hand out for Edward. Edward deactivated the gun again and shook Jake's hand, then apologized and turned back to his work.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Cullen, we'll be back for more tomorrow. We might also hang around to get more shots of you and the others at work."

Edward had been working for about 4 hours when the entire crew was called to lunch. He shut off his nail gun and set it down, heading for the tent where food had already been prepared by two of the volunteers. The husband and wife team of Eric and Camille had agreed to create lunch each day. They owned a catering company, and every year one of them picked a charity to work on. Camille had a friend who was abused by her husband and wanted to support the shelter systems.

Edward pulled his Henley over his head, and he winced slightly as he felt the familiar pull of sunburn on his shoulders. It was less severe than he had feared, though; he was pretty sure he'd be over it within a couple days. Edward got to the tent with the last group of volunteers and looked around for Jasper. The blond was absent, and Edward wondered where he could be.

Joe and the other skilled workers knew each other quite well, so they sat together at the middle of the long table. Edward sat next to Joe, "Do you know where Jasper is, Joe?"

"He had to run to town for some supplies that just got shipped in, he'll be back in a few minutes," the electrician answered, "I'm Alex, by the way," he held a hand across the table and Edward shook it firmly. Jacob sat down next to Edward and his thigh came to rest conveniently close to Edward's. He hadn't been able to engage Edward in casual conversation over the past 2 hours, though not for lack of trying. Edward had resisted all attempts Jacob made to distract him. The young businessman was not stupid, and he had determined Jacob's intent. He wasn't remotely attracted to Jacob, and thought it best to keep everything professional. Jacob's thigh connected with Edward's and Edward moved his leg away. Edward began shoveling the food into his mouth at an unhealthy rate.

Joe looked over with a quizzical expression and saw how Jacob was eyeing Edward. He noted how Jacob's body shifted as the brunet shifted his leg to connect with Edward's again, and saw how Edward avoided the contact yet again. Joe narrowed his eyes at Jacob, "Are you a volunteer? I don't recognize you…" Jacob shook his head, focusing on the carpenter.

"I'm here doing a documentary on Mr. Cullen's time at the site. We'll release it as a promotion to help people learn about volunteer work, and help them see how easy and fulfilling the experience is. We hope it will help projects like these get support in the future."

"I hope you'll maintain a professional distance when you're on the site." Joe sent a look at Jacob that conveyed exactly what he was talking about, "If you crowd the workers, you could cause accidents." Jacob knew what the older man was getting at and backed off for the moment. Joe turned his attention to Edward.

"So, Edward, everyone is talking about the celebrity already, I know you're a hard worker, but I've yet to hear anything about your personal life, are you seeing anyone?"

Edward wasn't comfortable talking about his personal life in even the vaguest terms, but he was relieved that Jake had stopped trying to put moves on him, and he wanted to keep the positive turn of events from being reversed, "I don't generally discuss my personal life, but I have been seeing someone for a while now. It's rather serious."

Edward got up from the table, his plate now clear. He washed it off and placed it in the drying rack. Doing the same for his fork, he started to go back to the house. He was almost done with two of the insulated walls, and wanted to get another two done before he had to quit for the day. Edward pulled off his shirt and heard some catcalls from the women at the dining table; he shoved the shirt in his back pocket and started to walk back to the building. Edward made it inside and walked toward the next section that needed sheetrock put in. He started to work again, hoping it would be at least a few minutes before the documentary crew came to bother him again.

Only moments after Edward placed the first nail, he heard a gasp behind him. He shut off the machine and turned to find out who had interrupted his work. Jasper was in front of him with an angry look on his face.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" The question was innocent, but Edward felt like Jasper was judging him.

"I didn't have an undershirt, and the Henley was too thick, Joe said I would overheat."

"Edward, if you get sunburned today, you're going to be in pain for the rest of the week. Why didn't you get an undershirt from the…" he trailed off, rubbing his face with one hand, "you should have asked me. I could have given you one of my shirts."

Edward felt his cock twitch at the thought of wearing one of Jasper's shirts, if even for only one day, "I didn't realize. I've been using sun block, but I should have talked to you. Could I get an undershirt now?" Jasper sighed in frustration.

"I took all my clothes to the motel while I was picking up supplies. I didn't want to waste any space. I only have the shirt on my back." Edward looked at the damp undershirt, smudged from the work Jasper had been doing. He licked his lips unconsciously.

"I guess I'll deal," Edward said, shrugging and turning back to pick up the nail gun, "It's just a little burn, I probably won't feel it tomorrow," he lied, knowing that the longer he went without a shirt, the worse it would be. He didn't want Jasper to feel worse than he already did.

Jasper thought for a moment, "Edward, I can't have you getting injured on the site, it might get into the documentary, and that would be bad. I think…" he paused and Edward looked at him in time to see Jasper whip his undershirt off over his head. Edward gulped loudly and stared at the perfect, tanned expanse of chest.

"I'm sorry it's all sweaty and gross, but you need it more than I do." Jasper held out the shirt, looking embarrassed. Edward resisted the urge to bury his nose in the shirt and inhale. He was touched by the gesture and turned on by the result of Jasper's kindness. He slipped the shirt over his head, smelling Jasper all around him, "Tomorrow, if you clothes haven't arrived, you can borrow another of my shirts. I promise all the rest are clean."

Edward sneaked a glance around the room and what parts of the building were visible, no one was in sight.

"Jasper," he said, pulling the shirt down around his waist. The blond looked him in the eye. Edward gathered his courage and stepped up to Jasper, invading the other man's personal space. He snaked his arms around Jasper's waist and pulled the other man close, "Thank you," Edward tilted his head up, offering himself to Jasper. Jasper grew rock hard and he lowered his lips slowly to Edward's, pressing a soft kiss to the younger man's lips.

Edward licked softly at Jasper's lips, gripping the blond's ass in his hands and trying to deepen the kiss. Jasper groaned and pulled away, "God, Edward, we're supposed to be goin' slow, darlin'."

Edward attempted to reach up for another kiss, but Jasper arched away. In the process, Jasper's crotch dragged against Edward's and his belt buckle dug into Edward's stomach. Edward growled in frustration. Hours of seeing Jasper in various states of dishevelment and grunge had left Edward completely keyed up.

"The other volunteers will be comin' back in a minute," Jasper's voice soothed Edward as the blond unhooked Edward's hands from around his waist, "we'll have to continue this on our date tonight." Edward wasn't entirely sure he'd make it to the date without jumping Jasper again, but he knew that the older man was right. They would soon have an audience, and Edward was positive he didn't want to come out to the world in such an uncontrolled setting, away from the support of his family.

Jasper turned to leave and Edward sucked in a breath at the reddish marks his fingers had made on the other man's lower back. He groaned throatily and Jasper threw a cocky smirk over his shoulder, "Later, darlin'." He disappeared around the corner and Edward immediately pulled Jasper's undershirt up to his nose and inhaled the potent aroma of Jasper's sweat. Edward was generally a neat freak, but the smell of Jasper's clean body combined with the scent of honest work in the outdoors was intoxicating. Edward made a mental note to steer completely clear of Jasper until the end of the workday. Just the knowledge that Jasper was shirtless because of Edward made the idea of any other encounter that much more erotic. Perhaps he had made the right wardrobe decision after all.

Edward was relieved when Jake decided that there was no other viable angle to shoot film of a person nailing up dry wall. The documentary crew spent another while at the rest tent, getting snippets of commentary from each of the volunteers. Everyone had something to say about the celebrity on their workforce. Some of the women gushed about Edward Cullen being on the site, others commented that he was quiet, but unfailingly polite. The men mostly complimented the fact that Edward seemed to be doing well. It was only his first day doing manual labor, but many of them had noticed that Edward worked as hard as he could. They were also impressed that he never complained, even as the day wore on and he developed sunburn. A few of the men recounted their wardrobe failings when they'd first started as volunteers.

Joe was the kindest of the crew when it came to Edward. He was concerned when he'd heard a celebrity would be 'helping.' Joe had been around the block more than a few times, and every time he'd had the unfortunate privilege to work with a famous person, they invariably turned out to be incompetent, insufferable, or both. Edward was both competent and humble. He did the work well, and Joe hadn't felt the need to check on the young man more than any other volunteer. Joe also noticed the fact that Edward was wearing Jasper's undershirt. He'd seen heated looks pass between the two men all day, though neither was aware that the other was observing them. Joe kept this to himself.

He remembered his wife, Mary, who had died two years before. He wished the men well, especially given the small-mindedness of many people. Jake seemed to get bored with the praise Edward was receiving, which bothered Joe. He saw that Jake was slightly obsessive about Edward, but the dark-haired documentarian also seemed to be after something. Joe worried about Edward being hung out to dry because he didn't return Jake's attentions.

Edward took two more breaks over the course of the afternoon. As the sun sank, the temperature rose slightly, but the intensity of sunlight diminished over the course of the afternoon, so Edward felt much more comfortable working. Once the sun had sunk behind a partly completed wall, Edward was in shade while he worked. The first time Edward took a break, Jake was waiting at the tent, but the second time the documentary crew was thankfully absent. Edward completed his final wall of the day at 4:30 and searched for Joe to see if he could help anywhere else. Joe sent him to help pack away the supplies from Jasper's truck, knowing that it would have to be done before the day ended. 4 other volunteers worked with Edward, piling the lumber, sheetrock, insulation, and other supplies in the appropriate piles. They finished with a few minutes to spare and started covering over the piles. When Edward finished his work, his back and arms were sore and felt like overcooked pasta.

Edward had assumed that he would ride to the hotel with the documentary crew, but they were nowhere to be found. He wandered around the parking lot for a moment, before deciding that Jasper might take him to the hotel so that he could change for their date. Edward remembered that he had no fresh clothes to wear. Perhaps he could borrow some of Jasper's.

Edward peeled off the loaned undershirt and replaced it with his Henley. The temperature was cooling down, and he no longer needed to avoid heat. He hopped into Jasper's truck and set the shirt in the backseat. Then Edward rested his eyes for a moment.

* * *

><p>Jasper<p>

Jasper was a little late finishing his work. He normally didn't allow anyone to work past 5, since the days were long already, but he and the roof crew were halfway done installing a beam when his alarm indicated quitting time. Jasper asked everyone to stay for just a few minutes and finish the beam so they wouldn't have to restart its installation tomorrow.

They finished at 5:06 and Jasper thanked everyone for their extra time. He donned his flannel shirt and buttoned it up most of the way. The site was empty but for the roof crew and Joe. The old man was one of Jasper's favorite sub-contractors. His work was exemplary, and he was easygoing and tough as nails. Joe asked if Jasper was interested in catching some dinner with the other sub-contractors. Jasper declined as politely as possible, thinking about his planned date with Edward. He'd been seeing Edward work with his gentle hands all day. The thought of the shy businessman fitting easily into a construction site made Jasper's estimation of the younger man rise to unexpected heights. He'd regretted forcing Edward out of his comfort zone so completely, but it seemed that the redhead was resilient and stubborn. Joe had casually mentioned Edward's attention to detail and independent competence. Jasper had fairly glowed when he heard the compliment. Joe was not given to praise, and had never warmed to a volunteer so quickly in Jasper's memory.

Joe gave Jasper an appraising look when the blond refused the dinner invitation; it was a tradition for the professionals on Jasper's crews to eat out after each day's work. Joe knew Edward had something to do with Jasper's refusal, "He's a good boy, Jasper; you treat him right." The old man turned and walked toward his truck, whistling cheerily. Jasper stared after him, suddenly worried that he might have been too obvious. What if he outed Edward? What would the younger man do?

Jasper looked around, realizing that Edward was not on the site anymore. A small seed of fear uncurled in his stomach, had someone spoken to Edward? Did he know that people saw the way Jasper was drawn to him all day? Had he been caught by the documentary crew?

Jasper was reminded of the morning he had woken up and Edward had disappeared from his bed. He felt the same sensation of horror at himself as he had that day. He made sure that Edward was not anywhere around before pulling out his phone and dialing Edward's cell. He'd programmed the number into his phone when he'd found the paper on his driver's seat.

"You've reached Edward Cullen; I'm not available to take your call. Please leave your name and number and I'll call you back." Jasper felt the fear expand. Edward had turned off his cell phone. He had left with someone else. Jasper had fucked up again. He clenched his fist, silently berating himself for the stupid stunt he'd pulled.

When Jasper found out that Edward wouldn't face him in Seattle, he'd checked on the project Edward was working on. It wasn't hard to find out where Edward would be going to fulfill his end of the bargain, and Jasper happened to be providing the crew.

Jasper was happy to find that it was one of his company's contracts. He'd worked hard to win over Carlisle Cullen, but Whitlock Construction was now one of the main contractors that worked with Cullen Enterprises. Jasper had offered the site manager, a man from New England, the chance to work a job in Massachusetts. The man had been grateful for the shift, and Jasper had set aside time from his schedule to see to Texas personally. He generally did at least one such project a year, just to have a chance to get back to the part of his business he truly loved. He'd already overseen one project, but he wanted to confront Edward. Now it had backfired. There was no other site manager, and Jasper had completely fucked up any chance he had with the other man.

Jasper sighed heavily and stalked over to his truck, yanking the driver's door open roughly. His anger melted away when he saw Edward asleep in his truck. The younger man had slumped over, his neck was twisted at an angle that would undoubtedly be stiff and painful when he awoke, but Jasper felt his heart swell. Edward hadn't abandoned him, nothing was wrong. He was tempted to wake the redhead, but Edward looked so peaceful and sweet while sleeping that Jasper couldn't bring himself to disturb the younger man.

Jasper knew that Edward was staying in the same hotel. He'd checked. He wanted to stroke Edward's hair, but knew that he would likely wake the other man. Jasper started the truck and pulled out of the lot. He locked the gate behind him and hopped back in the truck, heading for the highway. He had never felt so good about a day's work. Edward was with him, by choice. Edward had not caused problems or been petty, he was strong. Edward confronted his shyness and dazzled practically everyone he met. Jasper was no exception.

They reached the hotel and Jasper hopped out, going to the office and finding out that Edward's reservation was already paid for. He got the key to Edward's room, which coincidentally happened to be in close proximity to Jasper's, and drove the truck to a nearby parking space.

Jasper got out the key, and then moved to Edward's side of the truck. He opened the door and touched Edward on the shoulder. The redhead didn't respond. Jasper stroked Edward's hair for a moment before waking the younger man, "Edward, we're at your hotel."

Edward yawned widely as he came slowly awake, "Jasper? Is it time for our date? I think I need to borrow some of your clothes." Jasper chuckled.

"I think you'd fall asleep in your plate if we went out now, Edward, I'm going to get you into bed." Edward grinned and launched himself at Jasper.

"If you say so," he latched onto the taller man and nuzzled his neck before starting to plant wet, open mouthed kisses all along Jasper's collarbone. Edward started unbuttoning Jasper's shirt, exploring the skin he uncovered with each subsequent button. Jasper groaned at the erotic movement of Edward's sinful lips on his skin. He tried desperately to stop himself from giving in to the sensations Edward was evoking.

"That's not what I meant, Edward, I don't want to ruin this by going too fast, but you're too tired to move slowly without conking out on me." He smiled softly and pressed a kiss to Edward's hair. He inhaled deeply, then pulled away and restrained Edward from following. Edward pouted, but Jasper was firm. Edward muttered darkly things about Jasper's teasing, and the blond laughed.

Jasper led Edward to the appropriate door and unlocked it before handing Edward the key, "I'd offer to tuck you in, but I think it would be too dangerous," Jasper tried to lighten the mood. Edward's eyes glittered.

"Are you afraid of me, Jasper?" Edward's voice was low and seductive, Jasper gulped.

"Edward, please understand that I'm trying very hard to control myself, and you aren't making it easy." Jasper backed off, locking his hands behind his back, "I want to do right by you. Please let me do this right, I don't want to scare you off."

Edward grinned, "You won't scare me off, Jasper. I'm going to go into my room now, and I'm going to think of you while I jack off. I'm going to scream your name when I cum. I want you to think of me, too." Jasper's eyes widened and he grabbed onto a pillar to keep from doing anything Edward might regret in the morning.

"Think of me, Jasper." Edward said, walking into his room and closing the door behind him.

Jasper slumped against the pillar, "Fuck me…" he breathed, trying to recoup some semblance of control.

**A/N I'm a day early! Aren't I fabulous? Perhaps I will do an outtake along with the next chapter, since I'm about to break 100 reviews. I'm thinking either a chapter dealing with Emmett's trip east (which would have no lemons, unfortunately) or an alternate version of the morning after… (which might have lemons, or might not, depending on what sort of mood I'm in…) Next chapter will have a date of sorts, though it won't happen like you're thinking. Edward never gets easy breaks. **

**Let me know which outtake you would prefer, and watch for it in another story thread. I don't want to break the continuity of this with something everyone might not read. **


	7. Chapter 7: Preventative Measures

**A/N: This story is rated M, don't read if you're under 18.**

**Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**This story is unbeta'd, all mistakes are always just me. Special thanks to DreamingPoet1988 for prereading part of this story and encouraging me to continue with this chapter, I might have completely scrapped it if I hadn't had her support. **

**Fic Recommendation of the week**

**Guiding Eyes by Mrs. Agget**

**It's a touching story about a boy who goes blind and the man who helps him to learn to live again.  
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Chapter 7 - Preventative Measures

Jasper nursed a beer, brooding and sullen. He wasn't good company and he knew it. He watched as Joe and Alex played darts with Garrett, the architect. Jasper tried to figure out why Edward had started ignoring him, why he had canceled their date. After the previous night, Jasper had been hopeful that they were on the right track. If anything, he was worried that Edward would push to move faster, and Jasper was fairly confident he wouldn't be able to deny the younger man.

Just before six this morning, Jasper had knocked on Edward's door and the redhead had whipped it open and ushered Jasper inside. Edward had been shirtless and his hair was wet from the shower, sprinkling beads of water onto his sunburned shoulders. Edward had been grinning when he handed a bottle of Aloe to Jasper and asked the blond to put it on his back. Jasper had bitten back a groan, but he'd done as Edward asked, massaging what he assumed were sore muscles in the process. Edward shivered involuntarily every time Jasper paused for a moment, trying to anticipate where the older man would next make contact. Jasper had finished putting the Aloe on Edward's back and was trying to distance himself when Edward remarked that he'd gotten his luggage, but he preferred the fit of Jasper's cowboy boots. Edward asked if he could continue to borrow them and Jasper nodded mutely, picturing Edward in only the boots, and maybe the hat… and assless chaps...

Edward had grinned wickedly at Jasper and picked up an undershirt, slipping it over his head and covering his beautiful chest. He layered it with a pale green flannel. His hair stuck out at crazy angles, and his cheeks were flushed with excitement to get out on the site and start working again. He slipped on his glasses and Jasper groaned out loud. Edward stuck out his tongue and Jasper couldn't resist giving the younger man a swift kiss. Edward's enthusiasm was infectious. Jasper should have taken advantage of it. Jasper shouldn't ever have taken Edward to the site. Maybe if he hadn't, Edward wouldn't have shut down.

As soon as they got to the shelter, Edward's demeanor changed. They'd stopped for coffee and bagels and had chatted absently about innocent things on the way. Jasper kept sneaking glances at the unconsciously sexy man beside him as they drew nearer to work. As soon as they pulled in, Jasper noticed several news vans. There was a crowd of photographers, cameramen, and reporters, all waiting for a piece of Edward. He almost felt the wall of formality slide down between him and Edward, and for a moment, he fumed. Jasper got control of his reaction and convinced himself that Edward was trying to separate his personal life from his work. It didn't mean anything.

Edward had not announced to the press when and where he would be completing his charity work, but local networks tended to visit each building site for the small blurb they would be able to share. They had prepared questions on the off chance that Cullen showed up at the site, but Jasper hadn't really realized how popular the story would be. The members of the press were more tenacious, now that word had gotten around and some crews had been sent out from Seattle. They had nothing to do but sit outside the line that had been drawn and continue to film, hoping for a glimpse of Edward now and again. Edward remained distant all day, but there was something more, something Jasper wasn't seeing. If the only problem had been the press outside, Edward would have been different when they were alone and isolated.

Jasper was almost convinced that Edward was trying to work in as close proximity as possible. Every time Jasper turned around, the infuriatingly beautiful man would be next to him, working on some project for Joe, distant and professional in all their interactions. Jasper missed the flirtations from that morning; he wondered where the Edward of the previous night was hiding. The only time Jasper had attempted any physical contact, Edward had stepped away, eyes flashing, and had explained he had work to do.

Jasper's hands itched to hold Edward; especially once the green shirt came off. Edward was an eclectic collection of appealing contradictions. He was wearing a hard hat and cowboy boots, completely incongruous. He had a tool belt and the nerdiest glasses available. His arms were not particularly large, but they were corded with muscle, and his hands were clever and quick. If Edward had given even the slightest indication that physical contact was anything less than repellant, Jasper wouldn't have been able to hold himself back from stroking Edward's neck, brushing Edward's hand, anything really, to maintain some sort of bond throughout the day. Edward didn't want Jasper's touch.

The cold front remained for the rest of the day, and Jasper's mood deteriorated proportionally as time drew on. He had been crushed when Edward had informed him quietly that he would not be available to go on a date that night. Jasper had asked if Edward wanted to join him and the rest of the contractors for dinner, Edward declined. Jasper asked if Edward wanted him to bring back a takeout order, and Edward informed him that he would be cooking for himself. Jasper asked if Edward wanted a ride to a grocery store; Edward had already had groceries delivered to his hotel room.

Jasper dropped Edward off at the hotel and made one last invitation for Edward to go out with the crew, perhaps now that the reporters were nowhere to be seen, the wall would crumble. Maybe Edward would come out, let loose, and have fun. Edward declined.

So now, Jasper was brooding. He tried to figure out Edward. Who the hell doesn't just go out to the grocery store? Delivered food, how lazy can you be? _Of course_, Jasper reasoned, _a truly lazy person would simply come out to dinner and have other people cook, it's not like he can't afford it._ Jasper decided that Edward was simply a different type of person. He was used to being waited on; he wouldn't even drive to a store to buy his groceries. Perhaps they were simply incompatible, they were from different worlds. Jasper was better off finding out now rather than being blindsided by Edward's distance and quirks when they returned to Seattle. Jasper liked his freedom, Edward seemed to be followed everywhere by cameras and reporters just because of who he was. Jasper would never fit in. Jasper didn't want that life. Jasper just wanted Edward. Jasper hadn't even looked at another man since he slept with Edward, the redhead was his perfect man, and now Jasper was out in the cold.

He tossed back the rest of his beer and got to his feet. He wanted to hear it from Edward. He wanted closure this time. Jasper deserved an explanation. He bade farewell to the other men and walked out to his truck, glad that he'd only had two beers. He drove to the hotel and saw that Edward's light was still on. He knocked on the door, and then saw the peephole darken as Edward looked to see who it was. The door remained closed. Jasper knocked again, slightly harder. Edward stayed inside his room. Jasper hit the door with his fist and leaned his forehead against the wood. He told himself Edward wasn't worth it, but a tear escaped and slid down one cheek. Jasper pushed away from the wood and turned sadly to retreat to his own room. He couldn't understand what had changed.

* * *

><p>Alec and Jane were in Texas. Edward saw them in the milling crowd of news-men and -women. Of all his 'fans' Alec and Jane were by far the most tenacious. Each of the three times Edward had appeared on the cover of a tabloid looking normal instead of put together, Alec was behind the camera, and Jane wrote the article. Edward had no idea what to do; he hadn't imagined he was worth the trip. Alec and Jane wouldn't let him get coffee in Seattle without photographing him, and let's face it, there's a lot of coffee in Seattle, more than in practically any city. Getting coffee in Seattle is like breathing in another city, completely un-newsworthy. Edward absently wondered how much a tabloid would pay for an image of him out on a date with a man, or dancing in a gay club. They wouldn't have the opportunity. Edward would simply stay in his hotel. He could order food in and send his clothes out. He could live in the hotel for three weeks. He could stay away from Jasper until he had a chance to explain things back home. He would have to tell Jasper of course.<p>

Edward imagined that conversation, 'Hi Jasper, this is the guy who told you to jack off while thinking of him last night, I have to cancel our date because I'm terrified of cameras.' He scowled bitterly, 'also, I was wondering if you would mind keeping your distance from me in case a paparazzo happens to be in a tree outside photographing us, thanks ever so.' Jasper had never dealt with press, he wouldn't really understand. Edward couldn't ask him to hide who he was. Edward didn't want to hide.

Jasper had cornered Edward in a hidden spot; no cameras would find them. Edward couldn't take the chance. He had braced his hands against Jasper's warm chest and pushed the taller man away. Jasper hadn't resisted, but the look on the blonds face was somewhere between confusion and hurt. Edward almost explained the whole thing, but his crippling fear stopped him.

Edward knew he was a terrible person for not explaining the situation to Jasper. He hoped that, not knowing how pathetically fearful he was, Jasper would not completely abandon the thought of them together. Jasper seemed so angry when Edward had resisted any attempts to convince him to go out in public. Given his frame of mind, Edward couldn't risk the public venue. He was likely to get drunk or stupid and get photographed at his worst. Edward knew his mother would urge him to go out, but one Emmett was enough for any family. Edward being irresponsible would be indefensible.

Hours later, Edward was watching a god-awful reality show when Jasper showed up at his door, and it was all Edward could do to keep from flinging it wide open and pulling the other man into his room. He wanted to date Jasper, know Jasper. He would probably come out to the press if it meant he could be with Jasper, but not here. He needed to get through three weeks. It wouldn't be that difficult. Edward had already spent the last three weeks avoiding Jasper; everything had worked out, more or less. He would just retain his professional distance. Perhaps he could get his morning ride to the site with Jake.

* * *

><p>Edward started awake at 2 in the morning. The door to his room was rattling as if someone was trying to get in. Edward freaked out. He picked up the phone and dialed Jasper's room. On the third ring, Jasper picked up the phone, voice raspy from sleep, "Hello?"<p>

"Someone is trying to get into my room." Edward's voice sounded small and pathetic in his own ears. Jasper bolted to his door, not even bothering to throw a shirt on, Edward was in trouble, which was all that mattered. He threw his door open and came out of his room at full tilt. A dark figure bolted from in front of Edward's door, though Jasper couldn't tell who it was. He knocked on Edward's door. Edward opened it inward and stepped aside, but Jasper waited for an invitation. Jasper remembered Edward's earlier rejection and anger boiled up in him; he felt used.

"Could you come inside?" Edward asked, wanting to talk. Jasper made no move to enter.

"I think I'll remain out here, I don't want to put you out, and you could change your mind about wanting me in your room." Edward looked like he'd been slapped in the face. He started to cry. Jasper turned to leave.

"Jasper, please…" Edward was frightened, and Jasper warred with his need to protect the man and the need to keep his distance so he wouldn't get hurt, "I'm sorry." Jasper turned in time to see the door click shut and he grabbed his hair, nearly screaming in frustration. He wanted to trust Edward, but he wouldn't be the only one putting everything into a relationship. Jasper might not be the greatest catch in the world, but he didn't deserve being toyed with. Edward had too much control, Jasper needed to draw a line.

He walked back up to the door and knocked. The door swung open before his knuckles connected with it a second time. Edward looked out hopefully, "Call the police next time," Jasper said calmly, "I may not come."

Edward knew he deserved Jasper's hatred. He felt his heart wrench in two as Jasper walked away toward his room. He wanted to call out, explain. He wanted to tell Jasper about Alec and Jane. He wanted Jasper to protect him, stay with him. Jasper's door closed and Edward collapsed onto the floor with his back to the door. He felt the weight of the moment press in on him and simply let loose a flood of sadness, disappointment, and shame.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Jasper knocked on Edward's door, then slid a note under and walked away. Edward picked up the note, feeling the pressure of the premeditated contact. Jasper wouldn't talk to him. '<em>I'm leaving in 5 minutes'<em>, the note read. Five minutes later, Edward was in Jasper's truck. He didn't attempt to speak to the blond, Jasper didn't look at Edward. They rode in silence, the angry tension from Jasper crackled all around Edward, silently accusing.

Edward tried to keep up a brave face, but throughout the day, he wondered if everyone couldn't see what was really going on. Edward couldn't keep his mind off Jasper, who had been concerned enough to defend Edward, but angry enough that he wouldn't even talk to the younger man. Edward tried not to be preoccupied by Jasper. He did his tasks mechanically, making mistakes he hadn't made the day before. Joe was concerned for Edward, and stopped by often, helping the younger man with whatever task was at hand.

On one such occasion, Joe was assisting Edward with a piece of molding and Jasper happened by. He angrily ordered Joe to stop wasting his time and to let Edward handle his prescribed task. Joe glared at Jasper but returned to his work. It was evident to everyone on the site that Edward was having some sort of trouble, and more often than not, there would be a volunteer close at hand when Edward got distracted and messed up. He always thanked them for assisting him, though he never asked for help. If no one was around, he would struggle with his work until it was perfect, but each job took longer than it should have.

Jasper got irritated when he saw the volunteers sacrificing their time, but he couldn't tell Edward off. The other man had never asked for help, the others just seemed to want to lend a hand. Angry as Jasper was, he could see why. Edward seemed vulnerable. Jasper told himself that it wasn't his concern. Edward had placed the wall between them, and Jasper would not be the one to take it down. If anything, Jasper had simply pointed out its existence, marking it clearly, just in case Edward felt the urge to step through the wall as if it didn't exist. Jasper wondered what more there was to the story. He silently berated himself for reacting so badly the night before. If he'd gone in to soothe Edward, perhaps the younger man would have opened up and shared what was bothering him.

At lunch, Jasper kept working, unwilling to risk another confrontation with any of the workers over Edward Cullen. Try as he might, though, he couldn't help but watch the scene. Joe and Alex seemed to understand that Edward needed space, so they flanked him at the table, blocking Jake from having easy access. Jasper was gratified by the thought that Edward would be spared the shameless flirting of the documentarian. Edward finished his meal and started to walk back toward the shelter. Alex laid a restraining hand on Jake's arm when the man tried to rise and follow Edward. Joe glared at Jake, warning him to leave Edward alone. Jake sat back down stiffly, clearly pissed.

Jasper saw a flash of light from the fence and noticed a photographer he thought he'd seen the previous morning. The man was walking along the fence, keeping a clear line of sight to Edward. He noted that this was one of the photographers that had showed up the previous day. Jasper had thrown him off the site when he'd ducked in and started harassing Edward. The man didn't look like he would give up easily, and Jasper was tempted to call the police, but the man hadn't done anything illegal today. The second Jasper saw him trespassing, he would have the man removed. Knowing paparazzi from his time spent with Emmett, the man would almost definitely try to sneak onto the site to catch the celebrity at an awkward… shit.

Jasper suddenly had an epiphany about what had been bothering Edward, he remembered something Emmett had said three years ago when they'd started working on their first project together.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, man, Edward hates the paps. Every time the family gets together, we're always on the lookout for press. If anyone points out the one or two paparazzi that are always following one of us three children, he freezes over and won't loosen up until they're gone. It's like he's worried they'll see a pimple on his face and get paid for the pic. Mom tells him to loosen up, but he's always the same." Emmett had rambled on for awhile longer, talking about how unfair it was that Edward never caught any flak for being a geek, but Emmett couldn't even pick up a chick without being plastered on the gossip rags. He then digressed into some rant about the bill of rights and the right to tell the press to shove their cameras up their asses, but Jasper had stopped listening when Emmett left the subject of Edward. He couldn't imagine that the successful businessman would be rattled by the press, not when he was virtually perfect.<p>

Perfect credentials, perfect upbringing, perfect job, perfect ass, perfect smile. Jasper hadn't thought about his obsession with Emmett's brother in almost a year. Every time Jasper heard Edward's name mentioned, he catalogued whatever information he could gather, but he hadn't allowed himself to consider what might have been since before he learned Edward was working for Cullen Enterprises. Edward was part of the family, one of the ones who had shunned Jasper (though Emmett claimed that Alice and Edward never really cared, they just didn't know Jasper). Now that Edward was working closely with his parents, he no doubt shared their opinion of Jasper's influence over Emmett.

Jasper brightened when he considered this. Perhaps Emmett's father would be so impressed with Jasper's professionalism that he would reconsider the standing ban on Jasper Whitlock. (Jasper wasn't sure the ban was actually still standing, since Emmett rarely went home except for family events, but he assumed that it was since neither Esme or Carlisle had spoken to him in ten years). Jasper was determined to prove the Cullens wrong, perhaps he could even spend some time with Edward, feel him out, as it were.

* * *

><p>Jasper felt his face heat up and was quietly thankful that nobody was around to witness his reaction to simply thinking about his obsession with Edward. His ache to know the man continued to grow, despite the seeming obstacles and cold treatment he received. God he was pathetic.<p>

Thinking back to what had triggered the memory, Jasper considered Emmett's words. He had heard of Edward's media-shy nature often in the subsequent years he'd associated with Cullen Enterprises, but hadn't given the rumors much credence. Edward was always very cool and collected when dealing with the press. He never broke down or showed any adverse reaction. Was it all an act? Could this really be the reason Edward was acting so strangely? Was he that intimidated by the media?

Jasper disliked the media to a degree, but he also understood the value of news coverage. He always arranged for a few crews to get some time with the foreman of each project. He'd met with reporters himself when he'd arrived a few days ago. Jasper couldn't imagine being so scared of the media that he would shun Edward.

Perhaps it was because Edward was gay? Did his family not know? Jasper knew Emmett was aware of Edward's orientation, but Edward had attended the gala with that Irina woman. Jasper had been jealous, but decided that their relationship wasn't intimate when he'd seen how they interacted throughout the event. Did Edward's family think he was straight? Did they expect him to marry Irina and spawn some privileged grandbabies with her? Was Jasper again facing down the disappointment and ire of the Cullen clan? There were too many questions Jasper needed answers to.

Jasper ached inside at the thought. He'd hidden his private life from Edward's parents for years, never finding any relationship to have enough substance to bother making it official or public. He had only recently reached the level of accomplishment where he was newsworthy, so nobody had cared if he was straight, gay, or transgendered. Since his company had started working with Cullen Enterprises 3 years before, Jasper hadn't been in a serious relationship. Work had been his entire focus up until he became reacquainted with Edward. Now he wanted nothing more than to take the younger man away, force him to confront whatever insecurities or fears were standing between them, and let Jasper help him to overcome those obstacles.

Jasper narrowed his eyes at the brown haired photographer who was currently eyeing the fence as if he would very much like to climb it. If the paparazzi were the problem, Jasper was prepared to have them arrested in order to keep them from causing Edward any more discomfort. If the police wouldn't deal with the problem, Jasper also had no qualms about taking matters into his own hands. No member of the media would intimidate him into losing Edward. Jasper Whitlock wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jasper growled fiercely at nothing in particular and tromped down the stairs toward where Edward was currently fitting molding to a wall that had been finished that morning. He didn't look up from his work until Jasper tapped him on the shoulder.

"Edward, we need to talk… _now._"

Edward ran a hand through his hair, agitated. He was behind on his work because Alec and Jane continued to hang around, taking pictures of him every time he was on break or anywhere in their line of sight. He was rattled, and he couldn't afford to take time away from his volunteering. Jake had been pestering him all day, vaguely hinting that he would cast the documentary in a favorable light if Edward were to… meet with him privately to 'discuss' the project. Edward wasn't stupid, and knew the only way he could avoid fucking up the charity project was to be above reproach. He felt pulled in several directions. Jasper wanted to talk, Jake wanted god knows what, Alec and Jane wanted dirt, his father wanted him to complete the project and prove himself, his mother wanted him to stop hiding. Edward wasn't even sure what he wanted anymore. He studied the wall studiously, "What did you want to talk about, Jasper?"

"I want to talk about why you've been distant and cold for the past two days."

Edward felt his face get hot, though he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger causing the reaction, "You didn't want to talk last night," he pointed out.

Jasper paused for a moment, trying to pick his words carefully and not incite any more irritation. He was fairly certain he'd surmised why Edward was reacting to him negatively, "Last night you shut me down when I was trying to help you, when I came back and knocked on your door, you ignored me. Don't pretend you weren't awake, your light was on, and I saw you move in front of the door. After all that you called me at two in the morning and asked me to help you. Laying aside the fact that someone was in front of your door, I felt like you were toying with me. I don't like to be pushed and shoved anymore than the next guy. If you want me to be there for you when you're in trouble, I feel like there should be a balance. You need to tell me why you're in trouble, who or what is bothering you. If you want my help, don't close me out."

Edward remembered how afraid he had been and how much Jasper's words had hurt, "I was completely freaked out, and you were the only person I thought to call… You told me you wouldn't come back if someone tried to break into my room again."

"I lied. It was petty, but I would never leave you in danger if there was something I could do, Edward. Not only are you my best friend's brother, but I _thought_ that you and I were going to…" he couldn't think of how he wanted to put it.

"Fuck like rabbits?" Edward said and grimaced.

Jasper made a face, "I don't want to fuck you, Edward, I mean… I do, but I want to get to know you. Damn it, Edward, I've wanted to get to know you for over a decade, I probably would have pushed more if I'd had any idea you were gay. The only reason I'm haven't been pushing for the past few days is because I'm worried I'll push you away, and I don't really understand why. I won't wait forever, Edward. I deserve more than this goddamned limbo you've relegated me to. I'll ask one more time, and if you refuse, then I'll consider the matter closed. We can go our separate ways, and you never have to worry about me bothering you again. Moment of truth, Edward, can we talk about what's bothering you?"

Edward felt his blood run cold. He hadn't expected an ultimatum. He'd prayed that Jasper would give him time and space to figure out what to do, but time had just run out.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" He asked weakly. Jasper sighed.

"Edward, I don't need to hear everything this second, but you've had two days to come to grips with whatever the fuck is wrong. I don't think I'm being overly demanding when I ask if you're willing to talk about it with me. Either you want to try and have an honest relationship with me, or you want to keep your shell, close me and whatever or whomever else out. Am I really being unreasonable?"

Edward wanted to cry, he wanted to say 'yes' to convince Jasper to let the matter go, but Jasper was completely right. Edward knew he should have said something the moment he decided to distance himself. Jasper deserved to know why he'd suddenly stifled his feelings for fear that he would embarrass his father's company.

"Can we talk after work? I need to get back to my moldings if I'm going to finish on time."

Jasper shook his head, "Fuck the moldings, I'll hire an extra professional to replace you if I need to, come with me right now, we can cause some sort of hubbub and slip out without any of the paparazzi catching on. Joe will help, and so will Alex." Jasper reached out a hand to Edward, the younger man stared for a moment, reaching tentatively forward. _Fuck it. Mom says to take risks; it's her fault if it backfires._ Edward grabbed Jasper's hand and the blond pulled him to his feet.

**A/N: I considered completely scrapping this idea and rewriting to have a bit less drama, but I felt like it was the right direction for the story. Don't hate me; Edward is obviously not good at dealing with his feelings. If he were secure enough in his individuality to confront his fear of the media and talk to Jasper voluntarily, he wouldn't have abandoned our boy after the passionate lovemaking incident.**

**Edward's insecurities are the greatest obstacle to the relationship, and Jasper's need for equality and honesty is going to force some tough situations, but I promise eventually there will be a HEA.**

**In other news, two outtakes are going to be forthcoming. I'm about halfway through one and the other is gestating in my mind. They'll both be posted at some point, (to be followed by more, I'm sure). **


	8. Chapter 8: Revelations n' Rash Decisions

**A/N This story is rated M for adult content, don't read if you're under 18.**

**Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Fic Rec of the week:**

**Some Things Don't Need to be Said by K says**

**This is a truly original story about a friendship between disabled Edward and a popular Emmett that could be something more**. **Please read and encourage the author to finish this story!**

Chapter 8 - Revelations and Rash Decisions

Jasper sat across from Edward in the small hotel room. The two had managed to evade any press by leaving the site through a little-used back gate. Joe had devised some diversion that sounded like a boxing match. Jasper had led a pliable Edward to Joe's truck, parked outside the back gate, and the two had driven the twenty minutes to the hotel.

Edward examined his hands as he gathered his thoughts, absently cleaning his nails and brushing the newly-formed calluses on his palms. Jasper was worried he'd pushed Edward too far. He hadn't intended to issue the ultimatum, it had simply come out. He had no intention of ceasing in his pursuit of Edward, even if the younger man completely ignored him. Jasper was drawn to Edward like a moth to a flame. Every time he looked at Edward, he remembered the husky promise the younger man had made only a few nights before. He remembered their bodies thrusting together in perfect counterpoint. Jasper had never felt such a connection, and his frustration was due mainly to the fact that he was so god damn scared of losing Edward.

Jasper knew he had fucked up. He hadn't called after the night he'd made love with Edward. He had bid on the younger man to provoke some sort of recognition. He had followed Edward to Texas, effectively trapping them both in close quarters under the watchful eye of the media, and now he had forced this little gem of a confrontation. Jasper opened his mouth to let Edward off the hook, he didn't know why the younger man was upset, but he couldn't stand adding to the tension.

"Edward, I—"

"I got fucked over in college, Jasper." Edward cut through Jasper's weak voice, finally deciding how to approach the subject, "I never let anyone back home know how fucking weak and pathetic I was, but I got into a couple relationships that just… They made me realize that I could never have anything normal without worrying about ulterior motives." Jasper met Edward's emerald gaze steadily. This must have been what Emmett was talking about.

"I don't have any ulterior motives," Jasper's voice sounded tinny and flat to his own ears. He wasn't lying, but he was feeling fucking guilty, and his assertive air from early had completely vanished. Edward's eyes snapped with cool calculation.

"Why are you here, Jasper? Why did you come to Texas?" His voice was calm, but Edward had been wondering why the blond would go to all the effort if he wasn't another Felix, or in it for something more than a simple relationship. He knew Jasper couldn't possibly be that hard up for a date.

"I… I guess I wanted to force you to listen to me," Jasper shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know, Edward. I don't fucking understand why I can't get you out of my head. You frustrate the hell out of me, and I don't like it, but I can't deny it either. You blow so fucking hot and cold that I get whiplash."

Edward sighed, "When I first got to college, I thought it would be great, you know? I was on the other side of the country, I was young and gay. I thought I could be comfortable in my own skin. That's why I jumped at the chance to go out with James. He was into me, and he made me feel special, not aberrant or lonely. I didn't want to be fucking lonely.

"I guess I realized that my lot in life was going to be an endless parade of shallow assholes who just wanted to make a quick buck off my face and any bit of salacious gossip they could dig up, so I tried to explore as much of life as I could before I had to face the proverbial music.

"I dated James for a couple weeks before he finally convinced me to sleep with him. He was my first, and I thought it was love," Edward's voice was bitter and resigned, "The asshole dumped me the next day. He said I was just a one-time thing, that he'd wanted to fuck a dude one time so that he could say he'd done it. It fucking hurt, Jasper." A tear slipped out of one of Edward's eyes and rolled sluggishly down his cheek. It pooled at the end of his nose and dripped silently to the carpeted floor.

"I had no… I… fuck, Edward. Everyone isn't like that, you have to give people a chance…" Jasper struggled to find some line of reasoning that would help Edward to realize that he wasn't the same as James, that people were better, "I know Emmett told you stories about me, but I told you I'm not like that. I don't just randomly fuck people, and it wasn't just a one night stand." Jasper's voice sounded weak and desperate to his own ears, he paused, trying to find some way of expressing himself.

Edward continued with his story, "It wasn't just James. The only other guy I ever tried to date was even worse. Felix." Edward's voice broke, and he let out a gasping sob, "I really did fall for h-him… He fucking courted me. He knew who I was, and he dated me for my money. He fucking used me. He stole from me, and tried to blackmail me. I loved him and he tried to leverage my feelings to pay off his fucking gambling debts." Tears were falling thick and fast, splashing on Edward's hands, "You have no idea what it feels like to be reduced to a dollar sign by someone you love, Jasper. And the worst part was that he did it so coldly. He played me and I fucking fell for it. It hurt so much more than James because it just showed me what the rest of my life would be like."

Jasper felt sick, "Edward, I would never…"

"It doesn't matter, Jasper. I can't take that chance. Do you know what it's like to look at every man you find attractive and wonder, 'how long will it be before he shows his true colors?' I can't be honest about who I am because every man in the city would have me at a disadvantage. I would never have an honest relationship again. I've tried to live both lives, Jasper. I've gone to clubs and tried that scene, but even there… people are all fake, and they all have a fucking agenda. I only came out to my family so they would stop wondering why I wasn't dating any girls. I couldn't do it. I've been trapped between the knowledge of what I am, and the knowledge of what I have to hide."

Edward turned his head away from Jasper, "I guess I thought, when you met me at the airport, that maybe I could have something with you, be free… be myself. I tried, Jasper…"

Jasper ran a hand through his hair, "It was that fucking photographer, wasn't it? The one with dark hair." Edward nodded glumly, "I get it, Edward… I guess. I just hoped maybe you'd want this as much as I do."

Jasper sighed and stood, "I shouldn't have forced you to come here. I knew you didn't want to. I can't do it, Edward. I can't just turn my life upside down and put everything I have into a relationship with a man who doesn't trust me. I thought we could have something special." He moved toward the door and Edward surged off of the bed, grabbing his wrist.

"Jasper, wait. Don't leave…" Edward pulled the other man to him and kissed him furiously, he wanted to put the past behind him, and he wanted to try with Jasper.

"Jasper, I… I don't know how to be any different. I know you're not out for the money, I trust you more than anyone I've ever been with. I just… I can't be outed by the press. I have to do it on my own terms." Edward clung to Jasper, trying to draw strength to face the world, but Jasper stiffened.

"Edward, I can't hide who I am. I'm proud of what I've done, and I'm not scared of the media or anyone else. I deserve someone who gives as much as they get. You can't promise me that you'll trust me, Edward, and you shouldn't have to. I'm just not the right guy for you." Jasper pulled away from Edward and opened the door, leaving the younger man alone in the hotel. He went to the truck and sat in the driver's seat for a moment, resting his head on the steering wheel.

Edward felt the reality of the moment sink in and stood forlornly in the middle of the hotel room, arms at his sides. It didn't matter. He was too weak to fight for Jasper and so Edward lost him. Edward sat on the bed and curled on his side, tears flowing freely once more. He heard the truck start outside and Jasper drive off, back to the site. Edward lay like that for hours. He cried until the tears stopped, and then he drifted off to fitful sleep. His dreams were full of images of Jasper, smiling, laughing… Jasper.

* * *

><p>Jasper drove back to the site with his insides in knots. He'd just told Edward he couldn't do it. He rejected the man he had fallen in lo—. <em>I don't, it's not possible. <em>Jasper composed himself and parked the vehicle behind the shed. He came out and entered the yard, happy to note that no press seemed to be on the site. The volunteers were busy at work, so Jasper made a round of the building, making sure that all the jobs were being done. Jake cornered him when he came inside the building.

"Where is Edward, Mr. Whitlock?" The cameras were pointed at Jasper's face, he shook his head.

"I can't tell you that, it's a private matter. Suffice to say, Mr. Cullen is fulfilling obligations that go beyond this project. Beyond that, you will have to ask him if you want details. I will be personally filling in for him so that he can take care of this matter."

"Does it have anything to do with his family?" Jake importuned Jasper further, and the blond felt his temper fray. He didn't really like the documentarian. Something about Jake didn't sit right, perhaps because he was so obviously interested in Edward on a personal level.

"I've told you already, I won't comment on the nature of Mr. Cullen's absence, only that it will not affect his commitment to this project. If you'll excuse me, I have work to attend to." Jasper vaulted over a low wall onto the staircase Jake was blocking and ascended to speak with Joe.

The old carpenter looked up when he heard Jasper's footsteps, "No Edward?" He commented mildly. Jasper felt his gut clench. He shook his head, "Is he going to be back? Or did you scare him off entirely?" Jasper stared at Joe angrily.

"I didn't—"

Joe snorted, "Anyone who pays the least bit of attention can see that you're half in love with Edward, anyone who knows you anyway. It also doesn't take a genius to notice that he's been dealing with something serious these past two days. You probably pushed too hard and fucked everything up." Jasper opened his mouth to retort, but Joe held up his hands in a placating gesture, "I'm not saying it's one hundred percent your fault, Jasper, but you are four years older than him, working in your comfort zone, and if I'm not mistaken, you aren't being followed around by the media 24/7. Christ boy, Edward is so self-conscious he won't even make a trip to the grocery store for fear of attracting attention." Jasper gaped. He had assumed Edward was simply used to not buying his groceries, he hadn't considered the effect Edward's celebrity would have on his day to day life. He worked his mouth for a moment, trying to say something intelligent.

"If you want the advice of someone who's been married for more years than I can count, tell him how you feel. Tell him you're scared shitless because of how much you care for him. Show him that he doesn't have to change his entire life, and let him react how he will. It always works for me." Jasper frowned, "Conversely," Joe continued, "You could keep your head stuck up your ass, let him finish his project in peace, and leave him to his own life. Either way you risk getting hurt." Jasper stood there for a moment in silence.

"Either way, be sure it's what you want, Jasper. If you do put yourself out there, don't pull the rug out from under him again. He's obviously dealing with some baggage, and it isn't fair to toy with someone whose life has been shitty since he was a kid. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be an awkward teen dealing with the media, and Edward is now the only normal child in a family of odd ones. I wouldn't be surprised if he's taken on more a more responsible role than he's necessarily prepared for, just because of how wild his brother is." Jasper flushed, knowing he was partly to blame for Emmett's behavior and reputation. Joe gave him a shrewd look, "Ask yourself if he's worth it, Jasper, and if he is, then don't give up on him just because he's confused or scared."

Jasper was amazed at how completely Joe had pegged his feelings for Edward. He was also surprised by the depth of the one-sided conversation that had just taken place. He felt like he should say something, make a decision and let Joe know. Jasper stood there for another several minutes, pondering what Joe had said, contemplating his feelings for Edward, which were disturbingly close to love, and considering his options. Of course he wanted to fight for Edward, but he hated the fact that Edward kept jerking him around, and didn't want to simply drive back to the hotel and tell the younger man that everything was fine the way it was. Jasper really wanted to talk to Emmett, but was afraid of what his best friend might do if he knew Jasper had left Edward alone and crying in a hotel room. He shuddered. Just then Joe spoke up.

"Are you going to take care of the moldings? I think it's only fair, since you were the one that deprived us of a very dedicated worker." Joe held his gaze, and Jasper nodded numbly.

He spent the rest of the afternoon wishing the documentary crew would shove off, and watching the site for the brown haired cameraman who had caused Edward such distress. By the time that everyone was done for the day, Jasper was no closer to deciding what course of action he should pursue with Edward. He at least needed to warn the younger man that his absence had been noted and he needed to explain (or not explain) why he was not on the site to the documentary crew. Jasper approached Edward's door with a deep feeling of trepidation. He knocked softly and got no response. He peeked in the window, but the lights in the room were all off. Jasper returned to his room next door and lay on his bed, thinking and unable to get to sleep for hours.

* * *

><p>Around two in the morning, Jasper came out of a half-sleeping stupor when he heard scratching sounds. He hurled himself out of bed and yanked his door open, only to see a dark figure at Edward's door. He growled in a feral tone and the dark figure dashed away. Jasper started to follow, but the shadowy form disappeared into the night long before he got close. Edward's lights were still off, but Jasper's heart was pounding. He returned to his room and found his cell phone. He located the number he wanted and pressed send, heart still in his mouth as he waited for the call to connect.<p>

"Hey, it's me," Jasper spoke swiftly, "I need the number of that man who you used to use. What was his name? Dmitry something-or-other. Yeah, that's him." Jasper wrote down the number, "Thanks. I just needed the number for a client, everything's fine… I promise… bye." Jasper hung up the phone and immediately dialed the number he'd just been given, "I need to speak to Dmitry Bressler, yes. My name is Jasper Whitlock…"

* * *

><p>Edward was going to change Jasper's mind. He wasn't sure how, but he would do it. Edward was, first and foremost, a salesman. Not only was he a salesman, but he sold nothing. Edward got people to give their money away. Literally. He would simply treat Jasper as he would any client. He would be professional, present a tempting offer, and play up all the advantages of buying in. Jasper wouldn't know what hit him.<p>

Edward decided to wear his relatively impractical, but completely fuck-hot butt-hugging jeans. He was also going to wear a white t-shirt that was a size too small (he wasn't sure how it had gotten into his luggage, since he hadn't worn that size shirt since he was much smaller). He had a belt with a shiny silver buckle, since he hadn't actually used the tool belt, and he dug around in his laptop bag until he found a silver key necklace he hadn't worn in a couple years. He hooked it around his neck, donned his glasses and over shirt, slipped on Jasper's boots, and picked up his hard hat before striding out the door. He hoped he looked confident and not completely desperate.

Jasper glanced at him as he approached the truck. Edward was pleased to see the blond man's gaze rest for a moment on his necklace, then on his belt, then go a little wide at the ridiculous jeans, "Um… Edward, those jeans are… are you sure you want to wear them to the site?" Edward nodded and slid smoothly into his seat. Jasper wanted to advise Edward that his jeans would not work out well on the site, but Edward didn't currently seem to be angry, and Jasper wasn't sure how much latitude their conversation would stand before Edward shut down. He sighed quietly and hopped into the driver's seat. Edward was looking out the window at the hotel, and Jasper drank in the younger man. Something had changed in Edward's demeanor since yesterday. Jasper also noticed the belt and necklace.

"Uh… I told the documentary crew that you were dealing with some business issues yesterday, so they'll probably ask you where you were. I didn't realize… I didn't know we wouldn't be coming back… together." Edward nodded, but said nothing. Jasper lapsed into painful silence, kicking himself yet again for pushing so hard yesterday.

"Thank you," Edward's voice was so quiet, Jasper wasn't sure if he was imagining it, he didn't respond. The tension in the truck was not the same as it had been the previous two days. Jasper felt guilty, and Edward felt more nervous than fearful. They stopped and got coffee and bagels as they had the first few days, eating in silence as they drove the rest of the way. When they arrived at the site, the normal crowd of reporters waited to get their pound of Edward's flesh. Jasper gripped the steering wheel tighter and drove through the crowd, rather than parking in the lot with the others. He drove right up to the gate and brought Edward's door so it would be only a single step from the site. Edward glanced over, a look of gratitude on his face, but Jasper simply looked forward, glad that his face wasn't tingling as it always did when he blushed. Edward murmured another thanks and hopped out of the truck. He strode into the site without answering a single question, and Jasper parked the truck. He hoped out and stalked over to the small crowd of newspersons.

"Now listen." The cameras and microphones swung around to point at Jasper, "Mr. Cullen is a normal individual with a life. He's attempting to give back to a charity that helps men and women who are victims of abuse all around the country. Is it too much to ask that you not pester him and hound his every waking moment? Do you think he enjoys all this attention? Because I can assure you, he does not. I would ask you to kindly consider how you would feel if such a group were to swarm your workplace, interrupting your daily life for no good reason. Please just leave the site. Mr. Cullen has answered all the questions he intends to answer for the duration of his time on this project." Jasper strode through the gate and swung it shut behind him. The metallic clang lent a sense of finality to his words and he smiled a little as he walked toward the building whistling.

He headed inside to talk to Joe and bumped into Edward. Their chests collided and Jasper's hands automatically shot out to steady the smaller man. His eyes widened as they took in Edward's shirt, obviously too small, and sinfully clinging to his skin, much like his wildly inappropriate jeans. Jasper stepped back swiftly before Edward could feel the effect his appearance was having. Jasper stepped aside without a word, still gaping at Edward. The younger man walked past, looking down with a small smirk on his face. Jasper stared after Edward until he turned and his piercing green eyes met Jasper's blue. Jasper jerked around and walked quickly (but not too quickly) up the steps to Joe's workplace.

The older man smirked at Jasper's slightly scandalized expression, having seen Edward only moments before. He didn't comment on it, however, simply reporting that the rest of the volunteers had started arriving and that work was on schedule. Jasper nodded and thanked Joe before walking over to the desk where the blueprints were laid out. A window above the desk happened to look out onto the site, and Jasper happened to notice Edward walking back from the shed with an armful of wood for Joe to work into moldings. He didn't notice how Edward's arms were emphasized by the small t-shirt or how the white fabric riding up combined with the low hanging jeans offered a sliver of pale skin to the wandering eye. He certainly didn't gape at the strip of black fabric over the waistband of the jeans.

Joe cleared his throat quietly behind Jasper, and the blond jumped. He tore his gaze away from Edward and shuffled papers as if looking for something. Jasper had no idea what he had come over to the desk for, but it couldn't have been that important. He quickly excused himself and practically ran down the stairs and into a side room before Edward had a chance to reach the building.

So it continued for the next few hours. Jasper would notice Edward bending down to hammer in a piece of molding and he would freeze, fantasizing about the perfect ass encased in skin-tight denim. He would pass Edward in the hall and see a bead of moisture hanging from the end of the silver key around the younger man's throat. He would see Edward sitting in the break tent with his thumbs hooked in his belt, pulling his low jeans tantalizingly lower.

By lunch, Jasper was distracted and aroused in equal parts. He kept glancing over at Edward, who seemed to have mostly recovered from his anxiety. The redhead would still glance around, eyes following various reporters as the circled the site like sharks or wolves, but he seemed to have regained his composure after the past few days of drama. Jasper entertained a glimmer of hope that Edward was perhaps a little better for having shared his fear with someone, but he quashed it, knowing that his ultimate rejection had driven Edward from the site for half of the previous day. He never spoke directly to Edward that morning, and the younger man made no effort to interact with Jasper. They were mutually aware of each other, and when only an observant few were watching, they would sneak glances at each other. Joe was wildly entertained by the entire affair.

* * *

><p>In the afternoon, Edward attempted to make up for the time he'd been away the previous day. He started spacing his breaks further apart, even though the sun beat down hotly. At about three, Edward had been working for over two hours and Joe told him to knock off for a twenty minute break. Edward said he would, but kept working. At four, Edward collapsed.<p>

By that late in the afternoon, the only people on the site were the workers. The documentarians usually left before three, having enough shots of Edward working to piece together the day's work. Nobody noticed Edward until a few minutes after he had fainted. Cecily, the high school girl, happened through the hall and her shouted warning brought Jasper and Joe at a dead run. They feared the worst.

When Jasper saw Edward's form, laid out on the ground, he became almost frantic. He ran to the smaller man and checked his pulse and mouth. He sighed in relief that Edward was still breathing. Jasper felt the younger man's forehead and he was feverish.

"Fuck, how long has he been working? Joe?"

The older man scowled, "Well, if he didn't take a break when I told him to, he's been working for over three hours." Jasper's eyes widened as he scooped Edward's body up in his arms and carried him to the shade of the break tent.

Once there, Jasper quickly soaked several towels with ice water and began to bathe Edward's fevered skin, leeching the red cast from his overheated flesh. Edward's face was contorted in a grimace, but he arched his body into the cool touch of the towels. Jasper peeled off the ridiculous t-shirt and wrapped a soaking towel around Edward's chest, cooling him further. Edward came to after about five minutes, eyes fluttering in confusion. Jasper was so relieved, he almost reached out to stroke Edward's cheek, but the commotion had summoned the photographer, who stood right outside the fence, snapping pictures. Jasper wanted to get the shotgun out of his truck and blow the camera to smithereens.

"Jasper?" Edward's voice snapped Jasper out of his pleasant daydream and he looked down at the younger man, only to realize he was toweling off the redhead's abs, dangerously close to his belt. Jasper jerked his hand back, embarrassed at his wandering limbs. Edward's cheeks were still tinged pink, and he sat up slowly, "What happened?"

Jasper's eyes narrowed and he scowled at Edward, "Next time, when Joe tells you to take a break you listen. It doesn't save us any time if you have to stop working an hour early because you didn't take a fifteen minute break. Damn it, Edward. It would have been very bad if the documentary crew had captured that. We don't need people to think that working on these projects is dangerous. You could have been seriously hurt if you were using the nail gun or any of a hundred other tools."

Edward had the good grace to look properly abashed, he averted his eyes and saw the towel wrapped around his torso, "Did you take off my shirt?"

Jasper was staring at a bead of moisture on Edward's lip, and he didn't hear the question until Edward nudged him and repeated it with a small smirk, "I had to, you were overheating. I need to take you to see a doctor as soon as you can walk."

Edward frowned, "I'm fine, Jasper. I can go back to work."

Jasper stared as Edward removed the towel and moved to pull his shirt back on, then he shook himself out of it and grabbed the shirt from Edward's hand. Their fingers brushed and Jasper yanked his hand back as if electrocuted, "You don't get to make the call, Edward. If you don't go to the doctor, I'll send you home. I won't have workers on the site who can't take orders, especially when it comes to their own safety." Jasper raised a bottle of water to his lips and began to drink.

"Fine, I'll follow your orders, Whitlock, I wouldn't want you to… _punish_ me." Jasper choked and spit out his water, and Edward smirked again.

**A/N I rewrote the confrontation scene like, five times. I'm still not sure if I got it to say what I want it to say. What do you all think? Is there hope? Who's going to crack first?**


	9. Chapter 9: I'll Be There For You

**A/N Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been struggling with the plot, and the plot bunnies keep running around in my head. **

**I've decided that I'll only maintain a maximum of two chapter stories at a time, so if updates are slow, it's probably because I'm doing schoolwork or writing other stuff that will be posted in the future :D so sorry for that.**

**Thanks to AmShe256 for pointing out a continuity error, as always these remain unbeta'd chapters, so if you point out mistakes, I'll gratefully fix them :D.**

**Fic Recommendation of the week**

**Sixty Five Hours by Owenic**

Chapter 9 – I'll be there for you

Half an hour later, Jasper sat idly in a waiting room with about five camera crews. He wasn't really surprised that Edward's heat stroke scare had captured the attention of the media, but at the same time, he wished they would just go the fuck away.

Edward had definitely been teasing Jasper all day, which Jasper correctly interpreted as Edward's adamant refusal of Jasper's intent to keep his distance. The blond wanted to bury his head in his hands or call Emmett and talk about what to do. He did neither of these things. Firstly, the press were entirely too interested in why the site manager of Edward's charity project had personally delivered him to the hospital. They also wanted to know why Jasper had stuck around, why they always showed up on the lot together, why they were both wearing cowboy boots. Jasper was not used to dealing with the media, so he simply declined to comment. This in and of itself caused some knowing glances between a few reporters.

Jasper sighed and resigned himself to the knowledge that he would most likely end up on the news.

He didn't call Emmett for a second reason. He hadn't talked to Edward's brother since Seattle. He didn't want Emmett to make good on the threat to hurt him if Edward suffered from whatever the fuck their relationship had turned into. Jasper wasn't sure if Edward was suffering, but everything was definitely not worked out in any reasonable sense. He dug his heels into the carpet as he paged through a dry medical journal. The pictures were not pretty.

"For fuck's sake! If I were anyone but Edward Cullen, you'd be begging me to leave! I'm not an invalid." Jasper and the news crews perked up at the same time as Edward's tirade came drifting down the hall. The redhead was sick of being scared and intimidated. He was finished pandering. He was going to punch a reporter in the nose, and then he was going to pounce on Jasper and make out on national television.

Edward stalked through the swinging double doors and stopped at the sight of five cameras, microphones, and lights pointed directly at him. He narrowed his eyes.

"Thank you so much for your concern over my incredibly insignificant and non-threatening medical scare this afternoon. It's really wonderful of the press to care so much about every minute detail of my life. Now if you would please stop treating me like some fame-obsessed celebrity and give me some goddamn privacy, I'd appreciate it ever so." Edward jerked his head in Jasper's direction and stalked out of the lobby, ignoring all questions from the tenacious reporters. Jasper made sure no cameras were pointed at him before grinning broadly at the younger man. Edward seemed to have gotten over most of his fear of the media. Jasper thought it was fucking hot.

They didn't say much to each other on the way back to the hotel because Edward was still fuming over the pandering doctors and prying media. He really had to speak to his parents about convincing the media to leave him the fuck alone. It wasn't funny, it had never been funny, it would never be—Jasper was laughing.

"It's not funny." Edward snapped. Jasper pulled into the parking lot and parked before leaning over the steering wheel, "Stop laughing," Edward's eyes narrowed dangerously, Jasper didn't stop laughing. Edward growled and grabbed Jasper roughly, turning the blond and pulling him close so that their noses were nearly touching, "Stop laughing, you jackass." Jasper stopped laughing.

The blond was suddenly very aware of how close they were. His pupils dilated, darkening his eyes. Edward saw the mirth drain from Jasper's face to be replaced with molten want. Edward smirked. Edward and Jasper shared breath for another moment, Jasper was too scared to make a move. Edward released Jasper with a triumphant grin, relishing the lust haze on the older man's torturously good-looking face.

"It wasn't funny," Edward said softly.

Jasper couldn't remember what they were talking about, his eyes were locked on Edward's lips, "Hn?" The blond leaned toward Edward and the redhead pulled away suddenly. Edward jumped out of the truck.

"Jasper, let's talk over dinner. I want to… figure this all out." Jasper nodded dumbly before reaching for his own door and following Edward. Edward crossed the lot, keeping an eye out for any press. He swiped his keycard and pushed the door open, letting Jasper in and closing the door swiftly.

Jasper stood very close to Edward, close enough that they could each feel the heat of the other man. Edward shivered at the proximity to Jasper. Remembering Jasper's expression, Edward felt his body react to the other man and he shifted to hide his arousal. Jasper noticed and his cock strained against his jeans, "Edward, food… I mean, we should eat before… anything…" Jasper lowered his head until his lips were millimeters from Edward's.

A throat cleared across the room and both men whirled to face the direction of the witness to their revealing exchange. A solid man with dark hair strictly parted and combed stood by the kitchen. His body was relaxed, but he had an air of readiness about him, belying his generic appearance. His gray eyes were impassive, and his expression was bored, but for the smallest twitch of the corner of his mouth. Jasper took in the man's perfectly tailored and fitted suit and frowned. Edward's face broke into confused recognition, "Dmitri?"

The bulky man nodded to Edward, "Mr. Cullen, I was told my services were required, and I know your family demands only the best, so here I am."

Jasper had all but forgotten his late night phone call, but the tension that had taken over his body relaxed immediately. Edward stared blankly at Dmitri, "Why the hell would I need a bodyguard?"

Jasper stepped in, "Mr. Bressler, thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I am Jasper Whitlock, I'm the one who called you."

Edward rounded on Jasper, "Why did you call Dmitri? For that matter, how the hell do you even know who he is?"

Jasper glanced from Edward to the bodyguard and back, "Last night, I chased away someone that was attempting to break into your room. I happened to wake up and hear the noise, and I assumed it was the same person who was here two nights ago. The person fled as soon as I opened my door. With your presence in Texas now common knowledge to the public, and given the relative seclusion of where you're staying, I felt that I would not necessarily be able to keep you properly safe. I called Emmett, and he gave me Mr. Bressler's information."

Edward's face grew fearful as Jasper mentioned the return of the person who had been trying to get into his rooms. He sat down on the bed, first worried about the intrusion, then concerned that Jasper had gone out with whoever had attempted to break in. His emotions settled on gratitude that Jasper had both remembered his family used bodyguards, and had contacted Emmett to get one that would be discreet about his services.

Jasper turned his attention to Dmitri, "I would like you to monitor the hotel. I can keep an eye on Ed-Mr. Cullen while he is on the site, and I trust the volunteers, mostly because none of them had any way of knowing Mr. Cullen would be anywhere near the site, and all have worked on at least one project before. The press are not allowed near, and the documentary crew has been vetted by Cullen Enterprises." Jasper didn't mention his misgivings about Jake, since he didn't want to worry Edward or Dmitri unnecessarily, and he had already decided to keep close watch on the filmmaker for the duration of the project, "I want to make sure that Mr. Cullen has nothing to worry about during the hours that he is not on the site. I know the days he has are long enough as it is. Bill Whitlock Construction for your services and any expenses incurred for the duration of this project." Dmitri nodded gravely. He was detached as a bodyguard must be, but he had always had a soft spot for Edward, especially given his seriousness and how personally he took any evident threat to his life.

Dmitri had personally protected all three Cullen children. Alice was brusque when she had to deal with protection, often insisting on entering entirely unsecure locations for frivolous purposes. Emmett was the most capable of protecting himself, but when he worked with a bodyguard, he was always respectful and supremely comfortable with whatever situation required Dmitri's services. Edward was by far the most timid. When he was exposed to dangerous situations, he followed Dmitri's instructions religiously, but he also worried obsessively about every choice and move he made, concerned for the wellbeing of his bodyguard. Dmitri was intrigued by Edward, since most rich people who had powerful enough enemies to require a bodyguard were callous and treated their protection like human shields. Most were completely ambivalent to any danger they were putting their bodyguard in, but Edward often changed his schedule completely to adopt cumbersome safety measures to ensure that no danger would befall someone protecting him.

"So, now that that's cleared up… I guess I should go…" Jasper didn't really want to leave, but with Dmitri there, he worried Edward wouldn't be comfortable talking things through. He also wanted to give Edward time to process the fact that the midnight break-in was not a secluded and unrelated incident. Jasper was almost positive that someone knew Edward was staying in that room and wanted to get to him. Dmitri said nothing and Edward was still sitting on the bed, mulling through the information that had just come to light.

Jasper left and looked at his watch. It was too early to get dinner, and the others from the site would be nearly finished, so there was no point in going back tonight. He decided to return to his room and check out his unfinished contractual work. He'd left Seattle without tying up all the projects that needed administration, and now he was paying for it with nights of only 3 hours of sleep. It didn't help that his days and nights were practically plagued with thoughts and fantasies about Edward Cullen.

* * *

><p>Jasper was feeling a little frayed around the edges by the time he finished with all his paperwork an hour later. He stretched in his chair, then squared up the entire stack. He needed to fax them to his office tomorrow, since he didn't have access tonight. He sighed and opened his email. He hadn't checked his private account in over a week, so he wasn't surprised to see the obligatory set from his parents, wanting to know how his life was going. He had a couple email advertisements from a store he mistakenly gave his address to about three years ago. There was a final email from an address he didn't recognize.<p>

_**From: **_

_**To: .com**_

_**CC: **_

_**Subject: Revenge**_

Jasper wasn't sure what to make of the email, but he opened it anyway. The email contained a single link to YouTube. Jasper clicked on the link and watched, enthralled, as the drama onscreen unfolded. The video showed a man named James Cameron being confronted by young college men who he had conned into sleeping with him. As soon as the first story unfolded, Jasper knew what this was. He watched as the man grew more and more agitated before finally punching the reporter covering the story.

The video had been captured from a news station broadcast the previous week. It had received over 200,000 views in the five days it had been up, and nearly all comments were gleeful at the way the "dude" got "served." According to the clip, an anonymous source had tipped the reporter off to the developing story, and at present, Mr. Cameron faced charges of statutory rape from the state, and he had been summarily dismissed from the university. In addition, his wife had refused to talk to the press directly, but they had caught her on camera making a call to James and chewing him out.

Jasper was struck by the perfect revenge. He knew now who EmAlice was, and he hoped Edward had seen or would soon see the video. Edward wasn't James' only 'experiment'. He was one of many who had suffered at the hands of James' denial. Perhaps in some small way, this would help Edward to put the past behind him and focus on other things, like Jasper.

Just then there was a shy knock on Jasper's door. He hopped up from his table and crossed the room, pulling the door open to reveal Edward in a beautiful suit coat and a dark red button down. He was still wearing the inappropriate jeans, belt, and Jasper's cowboy boots. Edward looked slightly green around the gills.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably, not sure if Edward would still be the cocky playful version he'd been all day, "What's the occasion?" He asked, gesturing to Edward's clothes. Edward's cheeks tinged pink and he fidgeted with his jacket cuff.

"I… um, do you still want to have dinner with me?" Edward forced himself to meet Jasper's cerulean gaze and the blond broke out in a beautiful smile.

"Why Mr. Cullen, I do believe we're about to have our very first date." Jasper swung the door closed in Edward's face. The redhead blinked before rapping on the door, face growing redder, but not from embarrassment. Jasper swung the door open to reveal his bare chest as he tried to decide between shirts. Edward gaped and Jasper smirked, "I'll be along in a minute, wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." He let the door swing closed in Edward's face for the second time, and this time the younger man simply stared at the wood for a moment, thinking that if ever there was a time to gain the power to see through walls, this exact moment was that time. He adjusted himself in his jeans and huffed a little at the nerve of Jasper before returning to his room to await his date.

* * *

><p>Twenty five minutes later, Jasper knocked languidly on Edward's door and the fuming redhead jerked the door roughly open, "It's about fucking ti—" Jasper held out a bouquet of white roses and Edward trailed off. The other man was dressed in similar fashion to Edward, except he was wearing a hat. His shirt was dark blue and sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, his jeans weren't quite as clingy as Edward's, and his belt was the same one he'd been the day he'd picked Edward up from the airport.<p>

"Sorry I'm late, I just wanted it to be a proper first date." Jasper stood respectfully outside as Edward gave him a once over.

"Get your ass in here, cowboy." Edward accepted the roses and let Jasper in before closing the door and slipping the chain on. He turned and Jasper was right behind him, standing close. Edward's breathing caught and he had to restrain himself from grabbing the blond. His heart pounded in his ears as Jasper drew closer. Edward put a hand up and Jasper backed off immediately, his expression wary and a little hurt. Edward smiled a small smile to reassure Jasper, "Just because you bring me flowers doesn't make me a girl, Jasper Whitlock. And if I were a girl, I definitely wouldn't put out on the first date."

Edward walked past Jasper toward the table he'd set, but Jasper caught his arm, swinging him around, "Careful what you say, Edward, I might have to hold you to that later… no matter how much you beg." Edward's eyes widened as Jasper brought his lips gently to Edward's. The younger man felt his control melt away as he tried to deepen the gentle kiss. Edward swiped his tongue across Jasper's lip, but the older man simply held him and kept his lips together. Edward whimpered and his tongue pressed insistently at Jasper's lips. The older man drew away and Edward shivered.

Jasper smiled brilliantly and pulled off his hat, which had been knocked askew. He set the hat on the dresser and wandered toward the table, surveying the meal Edward had prepared. Edward pressed a hand to his mouth and berated himself for responding too eagerly.

Jasper peaked into the pot on the table and as soon as he smelled the contents he turned to Edward, "Is this Chili?" Edward nodded and Jasper grinned, "I don't suppose you have some cornbread to go with it?" Edward shrugged.

"I tried to make some, I'm not sure how it turned out though, I've never done it before…" Jasper took a seat as Edward sat across the table.

The two men sat silently for a moment. Edward tapped the table nervously with one hand, "Well, the only way this could get more awkward is if Emmett joined us," Jasper said to try and break the tension. Edward let out a startled burst of laughter and Jasper grinned reaching over to lay a hand over Edward's. Edward gulped and looked down at the hand over his, "It's okay to be nervous, Edward, but trust me when I tell you that nothing you tell me will ever become news or be used against you. I've thought a lot about our discussion, and I'm sorry I overreacted. I shouldn't have pushed you to talk when you were so uncomfortable, and I should have stayed until we worked everything out. I know it's hard for you to open up, and I want you to be able to trust me without getting hurt again." Edward relaxed visibly.

After a moment of comfortable silence he responded, "I'm glad you pushed, Jasper. I shut you out, and I probably wouldn't have manned up and talked to you if you hadn't forced me to. I'm too comfortable living within the confines of my public image, and quite frankly, it's beginning to piss me off." Jasper laughed and withdrew his hand so that he could serve himself some chili.

"Now I warn you, Edward, my love for authentic chili comes from my Texan blood. You have a grand heritage to live up to." He smiled to show he was teasing and Edward watched as Jasper scooped up a large spoonful of the concoction and put it in his mouth. Jasper looked at Edward in surprise for a split second before his eyes closed and he moaned. Edward smirked and helped himself to the chili, "Damn, Edward. That's fantastic. Did you kidnap a chef or something?"

Edward snorted, "Please, Whitlock, The things you don't know about me could fill several books. Cooking is the least of my talents." He took a bite of the chili and smiled as the flavor burst on his tongue. Swallowing he said, "My mother always encouraged us to learn something domestic, so that we wouldn't get complacent with our wealth. I chose to cook, Alice ended up becoming a fairly good mechanic, and Emmett is a pro at laundry and cleaning." Jasper was struck with a sudden image of Emmett dressed up in a French maid's outfit and he choked on a mouthful of chili.

"So… Emmett cleans?" Jasper asked mildly after he got himself under control. Edward nodded, grinning widely, "Is there… photographic evidence?" Edward nodded again. Jasper leaned across the table, "What would I have to do to get it from you?" he asked, voice husky with desire. Edward caught his lower lip between his teeth, thinking.

"I'll let you know when I find out what all you have to offer," Edward promised. The suggestion in his voice kept Jasper on edge as they continued to eat. Jasper took a drink from his glass and raised his eyebrows.

"How the hell did you get authentic sweet tea?"

"I made it," Edward replied.

"Well, you are a revelation, Mr. Cullen. You cook like a chef, you're comfortable in a construction zone and an office. I may have to make an honest man out of you to keep someone else from swooping in and stealing you away." Edward's cheeks tinged with pink again and Jasper bit back the groan that threatened to escape.

"I'm not that special," the redhead muttered, "I freak out at the sight of cameras, I have stalkers, I faint from the slightest exertion, and the only two men I've… turned out to be assholes." He picked at his food as he spoke, and his face flushed darker as he thought about James and Felix.

Jasper scowled, "You're an amazing man, Edward Cullen. If you weren't so strong, you would have broken under the obvious strain the media puts on you. The guys who used you in the past obviously had no understanding of how much you were worth. Their loss, and hopefully my gain." The conversation had taken a drastic turn for the serious, and Jasper wanted to get everything out in the open, "Edward, there are a lot of people who genuinely care about you. I want you to realize that the relationships you had in the past, the guys who screwed you over… It's not your fault. Most people go through their entire lives and don't have the sort of bad luck that you had to get saddled with those losers. I want to show you that all men aren't like them. Maybe I'm not the right guy for you, but I'm going to show you what you deserve, how you deserve to be treated. If and when you decide to go public is your choice. I didn't really get your situation until the hospital tonight.

"I won't force you to face a kind of scrutiny that I'll never have to experience, but know that no matter what, I'll be there for you if the time comes. I don't care if you decide you don't want to date me, I will still be your friend, and I'll be there for you, Edward."

Jasper grabbed Edward's hand and squeezed it, conveying the sincerity of his words. He carried on, "When we're on the site tomorrow and for the rest of the time here, you call the shots. I'll be as supportive or distant as you need. I don't want you to feel pressure or obligation to me." Jasper stood and released Edward's hand, wiping his mouth with his napkin before draining the last of his tea.

"I should go, Edward. Thank you so much for giving me this chance, and for dinner." Edward pulled back his hand hesitantly, not really wanting Jasper to leave. The blond turned to pick up his hat and Edward walked purposefully up behind him, wrapping his hands around Jasper's muscular torso and pressing his palms flat against the taller man's chest. Edward rested his head on Jasper's shoulder.

"Thank you for coming to dinner. I don't want you to leave."

Jasper let his hands fall away from his hat and leaned back into Edward for a moment. He turned and cupped Edward's face in his hands, bringing his lips to the younger man's once again in a chaste kiss. Edward wrapped his arms around Jasper's back and neck, holding him close as he slipped his leg between Jasper's and pushed the bigger man up against the dresser. Edward moaned into the kiss and Jasper let go for a moment, allowing Edward to plunder his mouth.

Jasper marveled at how well the other man fit in his arms, how perfectly their mouths came together. He kissed Edward back fervidly, gripping the younger man's shoulders. Their bodies slid together perfectly, two pieces of the same puzzle. Jasper wasn't sure how long they stood together. He wasn't sure who broke away for air, or how his shirt got unbuttoned.

When Edward fell back onto the bed and pulled Jasper after him, the blond wrested control back from his passion and drew back reluctantly. Edward's confusion showed on his flushed face, "What?" He attempted to pull Jasper to the bed once more, but the blond gently disentangled himself from Edward's grip.

"Jesus Christ, I can't believe I'm saying this, Edward. I have to leave. I don't want you to have any doubt about this, and I don't want you to think for a second that I only want you for your body. Fuck, I want you so much, but I want _us _even more."

Edward tried to gather his lust-addled wits and mount some sort of convincing argument, "I'm scared to be alone, Jasper. Stay with me tonight?" he said, putting a pitifully hopeful expression on his face. Jasper took one look at the obviously fake expression and laughed ruefully.

"Goddamn, Edward. I wish you were a better actor. We both know you're perfectly safe with Dmitri outside."

"I made you dinner… the least you could do is—"

Jasper bent to kiss Edward once more, appreciating how hard the younger man was trying to get him to relent and stay. Edward's hands immediately slid under the open shirt and teased Jasper's hardened nipples before sliding to Jasper's back and pulling the blond down on top of his smaller form. Jasper felt Edward's erection pressing into his thigh, as he was sure Edward felt his. They kissed passionately, tongues sliding in tandem, the rhythm of their breathing perfectly in sync. Edward felt Jasper's hands on either side of him, keeping the bulk of his weight off the younger man. The redhead attempted to addle Jasper into losing control, furiously teasing the warm flesh of the older man. Edward arched his hips off the bed to grind his throbbing cock against Jasper's leg. He felt Jasper's length slide along his hip and strained even harder.

Contrary to Edward's intent, his actions brought Jasper back to his senses and he drew back, planting gentle kisses all around Edward's face. The blond pulled away once again and stood.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward. I think you're more than worth the wait."

Edward pouted, muttering about Jasper not caring when he was drunk. Jasper pulled the younger man off the bed and held him close, "You're wrong, Edward. I cared too much, which is why I have to control myself now. This won't be a repeat of the last time. I won't sleep with you again until you're absolutely sure that you're ready."

"I'm fucking ready, you asshole." Edward fumed, "Cocktease. Charlatan. Fucking erotic cowboy fantasy. Sex on legs. Fuck me already!" Edward tried to ensnare Jasper one last time, but Jasper wouldn't let him get close enough to capture his lips, so Edward licked Jasper's jaw. The blond groaned and pushed Edward away gently.

"Good things to those who wait," he said placatingly. Edward growled and glared at the taller man before crossing his arms.

"Whatever, I didn't really want to sleep with you anyway, I just wanted you so worked up that you wouldn't be able to concentrate for the next hour." He returned to the table and quickly picked up the remnants of the meal, stowing them with a practiced efficiency. Jasper watched for a moment, torn between wanting to help like a good guest and the knowledge that Edward was trying to bait him into easy striking distance again. In the end, he decided against helping, since he sincerely wanted to wait, and was certain that if Edward managed to kiss him again, there would be no going back.

"Thank you for dinner, Edward. And thank you for wanting me like I want you. I promise we'll revisit this topic _very _soon."

Edward scowled at the blond, itching to pounce once more, but Jasper backed toward the door. Edward's expression softened when he saw the regret on Jasper's beautiful face, "I'm sorry I was so persistent." He apologized, fidgeting adorably. Jasper smiled.

"I know." He assured the younger man.

Edward scowled at Jasper's easy acceptance, "You'll pay for it tomorrow. I'll make you wish you'd stayed."

Jasper laughed, "I already wish for that, Edward. I'm leaving because I have to, not because I want to."

"Hmph." Was the only response he got.

"By the way… check your email." Jasper sent a weird look at Edward and the younger man's brow knit in confusion.

"My email?"

"Emmett sent you something that you need to see. If you want to talk afterward, I'll be in my room. We'll just talk though, so don't get any ideas." Jasper shot a warning look at Edward and the younger man grinned and stuck his tongue out at the blond. Jasper turned and slipped out the door as Edward finished rinsing the last dish.

* * *

><p>The blond man moseyed back to his room, ignoring the rather pointed look from the sedan parked in front of Edward's room. He plopped down on his bed and pulled out his laptop, bringing up his email he composed a quick response to Emmett's video.<p>

Edward sat on his bed, waiting for his computer to boot up. He hadn't taken the time to check his email since the first day Jasper had tried to stalk him at his office. He usually had the automatic notification system on at work, but Jasper had sent him a series of pleading messages so he'd deactivated the feature, intending to have Bella screen the emails and remove any from Jasper. He opened his inbox and saw 239 unread messages. He flagged all that were from Jasper and put them into a separate folder. Perhaps he would read them later. He selected all the obviously charity related ones and moved them into their own folder. The emails from his family went into yet another folder. He saw three emails from Emmett, none of which looked particularly interesting. He scanned them trying to figure out how Jasper knew Emmett had emailed him, and what exactly he was supposed to get from the messages. He returned to his general inbox and saw the name _**emalice. **_It was a name he didn't recognize, but there was no attachment so he opened it. The only thing the message contained was a link to that video site. Edward narrowed his eyes at the link and made sure it led to the site it claimed to. Not seeing any reason to hesitate, Edward clicked on the link and a video started to play.

**A/N I'm trying to bring this fic back from the depths of angst and torturous emo sadness. Let me know how I did, in the meantime, until it becomes truly a humor fic, i'm going to change it to Drama! which in my mind means humor _and_ angst.**


	10. Chapter 10: Breaking Point

**A/N: All the usual suspects apply as far as disclaimers are concerned… if you haven't got them by now, it's probably not going to make any more impact this chapter :D**

**Keep in mind that Edward is in Texas and Emmett in New York, so this takes place only minutes after Jasper leaves in the last chapter.**

Chapter 10 - Breaking Point

At ten in the evening, Emmett's cell phone rang with a familiar tone; he flipped it open, expecting the first words would be either grateful or pissed.

"WHAT THE FUCK, EMMETT?"… pissed.

Emmett flinched and held the phone at arm's length. He settled into his chair and waited for the tirade to stop, "FIRST OF ALL, HOW THE HELL DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT JAMES? AND WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TELL JASPER? DID YOU TELL ANYONE ELSE? I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TOLD MOM OR ALICE, I'LL SKIN YOU AND THEN FEED YOU YOUR OWN TESTICLES.I DON'T CARE IF YOU THINK HE'S THE DEVIL INCARNATE, YOU SHOULDN'T FUCK WITH THINGS THAT DON'T CONCERN YOU. YOU'RE MY FUCKING BROTHER FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BACK ME UP, NOT HIJACK MY LIFE. YOU'VE A LOT OF NERVE BUTTING IN AFTER ALL THE TIMES I'VE COVERED FOR YOUR RECKLESS ASS. I SHOULD TELL MOM AND DAD ABOUT PANAMA JUST TO EVEN OUT THIS SHIT. YOU'LL BE LUCKY IF I EVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN AFTER THIS STUNT. NATIONAL TELEVISION, EMMETT. THIS IS MY LIFE. MY LIFE THAT YOU'VE PUT UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE TO TESTIFY? DID YOU EVEN THINK FOR ONE SECOND BEFORE CHARGING IN LIKE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP? STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY BUSINESS, EMMETT. I'M SERIOUS."

Emmett waited for a moment, wondering if the rant was finished. It wasn't.

"I DON'T EVEN WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU SET ALL THIS SHIT UP. YOU'D BETTER NOT HAVE BROKEN ANY LAWS THIS TIME, OR DAD IS GOING TO KILL YOU. SHIT, EMMETT, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST GO PARASAILING OR DEEP SEA DIVING. STOP TRYING TO GET YOUR KICKS BY PLAYING HERO. I DON'T WANT IT, AND I CERTAINLY DON'T NEED IT. MY LIFE IS JUST FINE THE WAY IT IS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND IF IT WEREN'T I'D FIX IT MYSELF."

The sounds from the other end of the phone receded to heavy breathing and growls. Emmett brought the phone back to his ear, "Eddie! You called! I was beginning to think I'd have to come down to Texas and beat you over the head with a computer before you actually checked your email." Edward growled loudly into the earpiece and Emmett thought he heard the word 'castrate', "Now now, little bro. I've got your back; the least you could do is be grateful. After all, you did owe me for the whole 'not telling me you were gay' secret keeping business. As repayment for being a terrible brother and not telling me all your secrets, I've ferreted out the most gruesome and I'm making sure that justice is served. Alice is with me, by the way. I thought you would have caught that from the email address, but I guess you were too distracted."

Emmett heard a pronounced growl and eyed the phone. He held it gingerly away from his ear in case Edward exploded again.

"Emmett, who the fuck told you?" Edward was deadly calm, a striking counterpoint to his previous lack of restraint.

"Well, if I let you in on that, you might not ever speak to them again, which would hardly be fair. Let's just say that it was someone as concerned for your welfare as I am and once you've cooled down, I'll tell you where to direct the fruit basket thank you gift." Emmett thought his reasoning was perfectly logical.

He heard a broken breath from the other side, "Why did you… how?"

"Little brother, I know you as well as anyone, and I know when your reactions are reasonable, and when they cross the line. You were mad at more than just Jasper when you unloaded on me the other day, and I took the matter in hand. I'm not going to yell at you for keeping things from me, because after hearing the story, I'm pretty sure most people in your situation would have done the same." Edward's breathing deepened and evened out, "Alice and I will keep your secret, but we won't let these assholes get away with ruining your faith in love, especially when a great guy like Jasper is waiting for you in Seattle. It's time to let go, let us take care of these morons, and start living your life again."

Edward sucked in a careful breath, "You should have asked _me, _Em. Maybe I wouldn't have told you, but you had no right to go behind my back, and you _absolutely _had no right to share this with Jasper."

Emmett winced, but retorted hotly, "I have every right to protect my family, and I don't care who I have to protect them from. You've been standing in your own way for far too long, Eddie, and I don't care how many Jameses have to fucking face the music to make sure that you don't suffer any more for their indescribably shitty behavior. Don't lecture me, Edward Cullen. I'm doing this whether you like it or not, so you might as well suck it up and thank me."

"You're lucky that I told Jasper about James before he found out from your little stunt, Emmett…" it seemed like the lecture might continue, "Tell Alice I said 'hi'… and Emmett?... Thanks."

The line went dead and Emmett snapped his phone shut, grinning like an imbecile. He knew Edward would look like he was sucking a lemon when he apologized, but it was sweet how he understood that Emmett was awesome.

* * *

><p>By the time that Jasper knocked on his door the next morning, Edward had gone through both the video and his conversation with Emmett twenty times in his head. On the one hand, his meddling brother was both infuriating and way out of line with how much information he had gathered and shared, but on the other hand, the delivery of comeuppance had been so spectacularly done that Edward had found himself almost completely devoid of any lingering angst concerning James.<p>

Simply the fact that he hadn't been the only one mistreated by James restored a good deal of self-esteem. For years, Edward hadn't questioned the fact that James had simply used him and moved on to girls. In perspective of the email, he was also very glad that he hadn't convinced Jasper to stay the night, because he felt awkward that Jasper knew as much about his encounter with James as anyone. It would have been ten times worse if they'd slept together while Jasper had information that Edward had not yet gotten. When Jasper knocked on his door at 5:45, Edward yanked it open and pulled the unsuspecting blond inside, slamming the door behind him. He jumped onto the blond and wrapped his legs around Jasper's waist, furiously assaulting the taller man's mouth. Jasper swayed under the unexpected weight, but as soon as he comprehended what was happening, he gave in and his hands found their way under Edward's ass, supporting him as they dueled for dominance of the kiss.

When Edward felt satisfied that Jasper was his, he let go and slipped to the ground, "I take it by your enthusiasm that you still like me, even after the email?"

Edward stepped away toward the table and nodded, "Not your fault that Emmett is a meddlesome brother," he reasoned, motioning for Jasper to follow him to the table, "I made breakfast… biscuits and gravy…"

Jasper grinned and joined Edward at the table, "I don't suppose you have any of that amazing cornbread left somewhere?" he inquired. Edward pointed to the table, indicating that there were, indeed, leftovers. Jasper hesitated, "I guess it wouldn't hurt if we're a few minutes late, I am the boss after all, and you went through a rigorous and traumatic experience yesterday. I think you should come into work a half-hour late today, just to make sure you don't overdo it." Edward nodded his approval of the suggestion.

"I think you're right, Mr. Whitlock, and I seem to remember that I promised to obey you from now on, so I wouldn't even think of stepping out of line." Jasper's eyes darkened at the innuendo.

"I'm glad to hear that you've decided to control yourself, Mr. Cullen. Maybe later, we can see how much you've progressed in that department." Jasper grazed the side of Edward's leg with one foot and Edward jerked involuntarily at the contact. Jasper smirked and Edward looked carefully away, trying to control his impulse to jump the blond and tie him to the bed to keep him from going to the site. Jasper continued to tease Edward with 'accidental' grazes of his legs and hands. He complimented the food as he had the night before, and they talked about innocent things. For the first time, there was no doubt in either of their minds that they were making progress.

By the time they were finished eating, both men were breathing a little harder than normal, and both needed a moment to themselves to wrestle their libidos into submission. When the table was cleared, Edward pulled Jasper in for another searing kiss, desperate to maintain the momentum they had established. Jasper responded as eagerly as he could without completely losing control. Both men were reluctant to pull back, but they had to get to work. Edward led the way out of the room, giving Jasper ample opportunity to ogle his assets.

Edward was wearing jeans that were much more practical, but were so worn that they nearly had holes in the knees. They also had a rip in the back right pocket just large enough to confirm what type of underwear Edward was wearing. Jasper bit back a groan as he trotted to the truck to hop in. He pulled out of the lot, seeing Dmitri disappear into Edward's room as he drove off. He assumed the bodyguard would sleep during the day since he had to be vigilant at night. Jasper was a little surprised when Edward snuck his hand on top of his, but the blond smiled and twined his fingers with the younger man's.

When they arrived at the lot, there was a knot of reporters standing by the fence, trying to catch the attention of someone inside. All the volunteers ignored them. When Jasper parked in the lot, the gaggle of newspersons descended on the truck and Edward rolled his eyes, letting Jasper's hand go and leaning in for a quick kiss before anyone got close enough to capture the moment on film. The smaller man hopped out of the truck and made a brief statement concerning his health, once again admonishing the press to respect his privacy when they started asking questions about Jasper.

Jasper reached the lot long before Edward, but instead of waiting for the younger man to make it to the gate; he walked quickly to the building, ducking indoors and taking the stairs three at a time to search out Joe. Nobody outside the press had batted an eye at the late arrival of their resident celebrity or their foreman, well... nobody except the documentary crew. Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling to himself about the nosy documentarian and his fascination for Edward. The building was taking shape, and the task for the day was to weatherproof the outside, finish the roof, and make sure that everyone could work indoors if the weather turned sour, as it was threatening to.

Jasper thanked Joe for keeping an eye on things and sought out the roofing experts among the volunteers to help him with the job. As Jasper climbed the ladder to the roof, he noted that Edward had started to help seal the siding and coat it with water-repellant stain. He surveyed the younger man's work for a moment until the man behind him cleared his throat and asked him to get a move on.

Jasper was up and down the ladder all morning, passing by Edward frequently. The press had dispersed, leaving only the tenacious few along with Seattle's finest, but Edward seemed to take it in stride. Every time Jasper passed, he would make offhand comments that got the older man worked up. He also bent over a lot. Jasper hissed at him to stop teasing on one occasion and Edward simply laughed. The documentary crew had only spent a few minutes hounding Edward about his 'injury' the previous day. Edward downplayed it, indicating that it had been entirely his fault that he hadn't taken a break. Jacob seemed disappointed that Edward wouldn't allow the blame to be placed on anyone else, but reluctantly retreated to the tent as the morning heated up.

* * *

><p>At lunch, Edward flirted outrageously with everyone at the table, causing Jasper to glare pointedly at several innocent bystanders. Edward was only doing it to be able to throw suggestive glances at Jasper without anyone noticing. People noticed.<p>

Shortly after lunch, Jasper was on the roof when a shout was heard from the other side of the building. He slid down the ladder as quickly as possible and sprinted around the building. Edward arrived at the scene moments before Jasper and took charge. Jamison, the man who was measuring and sawing siding, had gotten his shirt-sleeve caught in the saw, and had a large gash on his upper arm. It oozed blood sluggishly, and the area was sprayed with splotches of red. One of the female volunteers had been a nurse and wanted to know where a first aid kit was. A boy about 19 took off running toward the shed to retrieve the kit. The woman fretted about blood loss and asked if anyone had something to use as a temporary bandage until the kit was retrieved. Edward pulled off his shirt and handed it to her. She wrinkled her nose and dipped the shirt in water to clean it, but pressed it to the wound.

"The ambulance will be here in ten minutes," one of the volunteers disconnected from the 911 call and the nurse relaxed visibly.

"He should be fine as long as we get the bleeding under control. The gash doesn't seem like it goes deep enough for significant nerve damage, thank god." Jasper sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his brow with one arm. Edward rocked back on his legs, back rippling with the motion. As the adrenaline faded from Jasper's body, arousal set in. He silently berated himself for being a horny bastard, but Edward without a shirt was entirely too distracting.

Jasper asked the nurse to stay, but told everyone else to give them space, and Edward and the others returned to work. The boy who'd gone running for their first aid kit returned and deposited the box next to the nurse before returning to his own work. Everyone was buzzing with speculation about the injury and sympathetic support of each other as they recalled stories about Jamison.

By the time the ambulance arrived, news crews had once again started to flock around the gate to the compound. Jasper barked at them to move and allowed the ambulance to drive onto the lot. Jamison had recovered from the shock of the injury and joked about paid vacation as he was loaded into the vehicle. Jasper hopped in and instructed the man to get better quickly. Jamison saluted with his good arm and Jasper reluctantly left the ambulance, knowing that he couldn't take another day off and expect to maintain his scheduled completion date.

Of course, the fact that he'd escorted Edward to the hospital the day before only gave more fodder to the gossip mill. Reporters openly speculated on why Mr. Whitlock wasn't escorting _this _injured man when he had done so the day before. Jasper scowled at the cameras, "I wouldn't have escorted Mr. Cullen to the hospital if he had consented to an ambulance. Given the apparent fixation with his private life, I now realize sedating him and loading him into the ambulance would have been a more acceptable approach. Don't you people have anything better to do?" He slammed the gate behind the ambulance far more forcefully than necessary and stalked off in the direction of the shelter.

Jasper was frustrated. Not only had he lost one of the more skilled laborers, which meant that Joe had to train someone who was a novice to measure and cut the siding, but Edward was working just beneath him, with no shirt on.

It was bad enough when he'd been merely teasing, but now every movement was seductive and Jasper's peace of mind was completely gone. Edward had asked one of the women on the site to help him with sun block, since his shirt was blood soaked and thoroughly unusable. He was taking breaks twice as often to avoid Jasper's wrath. Jasper growled as he saw Edward reach for his tub of stain, back stretching and recoiling. It was ten times worse than the last time, because now it was a constant show.

Jasper finally lost control when Jacob came over and started filming Edward at work, casually bumping into the other man a couple times. Jacob also seemed to be undressing Edward with his mind, and his hands were fidgeting as if he was considering some sort of action to go along with his impulses. Jasper tromped down the ladder, far more agitated than if he was just a foreman. He looked around where Edward was working, looking for some unseen hazard the documentary crew was causing that he could use to force Jacob to back off. The only possible hazard was the cord from the sound equipment, which had bunched up in front of a doorway. It was a minor issue at best. Jasper cursed under his breath, pissed that Jacob was evidently following safety instructions.

Jake brushed against Edward again and the redhead jerked away from the contact once more. Quil and Embry were just about fed up with Jake's obsession, rightly concluding that people would notice, and reasonably annoyed that he was endangering their gig. Embry and Quil called Jake over just as Edward noticed Jasper. The blond was fuming, and Edward shook his head forcefully, warning Jasper to drop it.

Embry pulled Jake up close, "Listen, man. If you want to mack on Cullen when you're on downtime, be our guest, but you're coming across as completely uncool on film. We need this gig, Quil and I both. Don't fuck this up for us, man. Based on the footage we have, the Cullens could demand a different crew and they would have every right." Quil nodded assent.

Cutting Embry off, Quil continued the intervention, "Jake, back the fuck off or we'll get fired. God only knows what the fallout would be if you released any of the footage where you're in the frame ogling him. Fuck man, you're practically stalking him. If you didn't notice, he isn't into you."

Jake scowled at the two men, hackles rising. He flung his hands up in the air, "Fucking pricks, I'm not being fucking unprofessional, and besides, we can edit out whatever we want. He just thinks he's better than me, fucking stuck up ass." Quil and Embry exchanged a worried look. Jake's obvious irrationality was putting them all on thin ice. Jasper argued with Edward quietly, trying to resist pulling the other man into a claiming kiss. He knew that with the documentary crew hanging around, as well as the ever-present brunet clicking away with his camera, any action he might take to get Jake to back off could be correctly interpreted as Jealousy.

A thought struck him, "Jake," he called out, causing the crew to turn and face him, "I just realized that you probably haven't gotten much footage of volunteers being trained. I think it would be a good idea for you to go film Joe while he teaches Arthur to measure and cut siding. The filming day is almost up anyway, and Edward was just about to go on break."

"I was—" Edward trailed off as Jasper focused on him and glared possessively, "just going to do that. Jake, he's right, you've got plenty of footage of me… nobody wants to watch paint dry, that's as boring as… well what do you know?" He grinned, hoping that his quip would cover the hesitation from before. Quil and Embry both looked relieved and practically hauled Jake off around the building.

"Mr. Cullen, can you join me inside for a moment?" Jasper spoke quietly, but kept it professional in case anyone was watching. Edward stretched and Jasper's mouth dried out instantly, "Now?" the request came out far too desperate for Jasper's taste. Edward smirked and rolled his shoulders, walking into the building as he stretched. He turned into one of the rooms that was lacking only flooring and wall covering and turned just in time for Jasper's mouth to collide with his. Edward squeaked as he was pushed against the wall. Jasper's hands were all over him, gliding over slick skin, teasing taut flesh. Edward whimpered into the kiss, warring with himself. His impulse to see what would happen fought his fear that they would be caught. Impulse won by a landslide and suddenly his hands were in Jasper's hair, pulling at Jasper's shirt, fumbling with Jasper's belt.

"Have… to stop…" Edward panted as Jasper worked his way to the graceful arch of a collarbone. Edward moaned and Jasper released the sensitized skin.

"You shouldn't have teased me all day if you didn't want this to happen, Edward. I can't…" He dove back to Edward's lips, slipping his tongue easily into the younger man's mouth. Edward clung weakly to Jasper, rapidly losing all reason and sense that he shouldn't be doing this. Before either man came to his senses, Jasper was dropping to his knees, wresting Edward's belt off and popping the button of his jeans. The pressure was too much and Edward bucked his hips forward as Jasper yanked down the zipper. His hands splayed on the wall, leaving traces of moisture and oil. Edward's back rubbed against the drywall, friction adding to the heady muddle of lust overpowering Edward's mind. Jasper kissed Edward's hip, tugging down one side of his boxers as the happy faces beamed up at him, "Fuck, Edward. I've been seeing those goddamn happy faces all day long. You wanted this," he accused, returning to his ministrations.

"Yes… fuck yes," Jasper drew nearer to his goal and Edward's hands braced against the wall harder, fingernails scraping along the surface as he sought purchase on the smooth surface. He writhed as Jasper pulled his boxers completely off. Edward's hips bucked once more and suddenly he felt the moist warmth of Jasper's lips surrounding his throbbing penis, teasing the quivering length, "Jesus, Jasper, oh god I …" Jasper gazed up at the wanton sight above him, the toned torso showing the first faint tan. Skin glazed with moisture, hair in perpetual disarray. Edward was out of control, and Jasper had never seen anything so beautiful. He swirled his tongue around Edward's head, tasting and probing. The younger man was flushed from the roots of his hair to the top of his torso, He bucked against Jasper's lips, the need for release pushing him, forcing him to seek friction of any sort.

Jasper relaxed his jaw and allowed Edward's length to slide past his waiting lips. Edward's lips parted in a silent scream as Jasper took in his entire length. His knees buckled and only his arms braced him against the wall. Jasper saw and pushed forward, holding Edward up as he suckled on the engorged cock. Jasper's pants were undone and his hand fisted his own erection as he pushed Edward ever nearer to the release they both needed.

"I'm … Jasper I can't hold on… I'm going to…" Edward bucked forward one last time, and Jasper's nose brushed against the bronze curls at the root of Edward's cock just as the younger man bit his lip to keep from screaming Jasper's name. Edward's cum coated the back of Jasper's eager mouth as he released spurt after spurt. His chest heaved with passion as Jasper licked him clean before releasing him. Jasper's own cock was softening, and he wiped the remains of his own release on his t-shirt as he gently tucked Edward's softened length into his boxers and did up the younger man's pants. Edward panted as he leaned against the wall. A euphoric haze covered both men as Jasper started to chuckle.

Jasper stood and leaned next to Edward, linking their hands together as both men calmed down and collected themselves. On impulse, Edward turned and pushed Jasper into the wall, claiming another kiss. Jasper slipped both arms around Edward, pulling the redhead's own hand behind his back as he deepened the embrace. They stood there for a few minutes, matching heat for heat, the tender moment eliciting strong emotions from both men. Neither would admit the depth of their feelings, both were exploring and testing.

Suddenly, there was a flash from the doorway, and Edward turned, lips bruised and swollen as the camera clicked once more and blinding light seared through his vision.

**A/N I know I'm evil, but I had to have Alec show up sometime, just be glad he didn't interrupt them a few minutes earlier. Now, about the next outtake. What do you think Felix's punishment should be, public humiliation? Private embarrassment/ruin? Death by syphilis? Should Emmett be dressed in drag at any point in the next outtake? Tell me your thoughts, I want to know.**


	11. Chapter 11: Backbone

**A/N so here it is… it's like, four days late.. I had it almost done on Tuesday, but then I lost everything and had to start the entire chapter over. I haven't had as much time to write, so I'm pretty sure the most frequently I'll be updating is once a week on any of my stories.**

Chapter 11 – Backbone

Jasper flinched at the sound of the shutter, whirring furiously as Alec captured the intimate moment. He heard Edward whimper and surged away from the wall. Whatever Alec and Edward had expected from the moment would remain unfulfilled. There would be no witty banter or triumphant gloating. Edward would not break down and beg for leniency. Jasper launched himself across the room just as Alec lowered his camera, the photographer's triumphant smirk firmly in place.

Half a second later, Alec was on the ground, clutching his broken jaw, camera and thoughts of money long forgotten. Jasper yanked the camera away and pulled the memory stick out, "You are trespassing. The police will be on their way momentarily. I suggest you forget what you just saw if you don't want to face serious legal charges for invasion of privacy, stalking, and assault. I know you've been hounding Edward for far too long, and frankly, I'd be only too happy to smash you to a pulp even if you were to evade any charges we might level against you." The scrawny brunet cowered as Jasper held up the chip of plastic and metal. Closing his hand around it, he squeezed, holding Alec's eye as he did so. When he opened his hand, a mangled lump of plastic tumbled to the floor where it quickly met an even more permanent fate under the heel of Jasper's boot.

"Joe, could you come down here?" Jasper called up to the carpenter. He flipped open his phone and dialed the local police station whose number he had stored for just such an event, "Hello, this is Jasper Whitlock at the construction site at 5399 Tennyson. I have a trespasser here against whom I will be pressing charges. I would appreciate it if you could send out an officer at your earliest convenience to pick him up. Thank you, ma'am." He flipped his phone shut just as Joe came into view, "As you see we have an uninvited guest. I was wondering if you could get one of our strapping volunteers to keep him company while I make sure that this grotesque piece of shit is alone on the lot." Jasper picked up what recognizable pieces of the memory stick remained and lay down the camera on the floor. He piled some sawdust on top, set the bits of plastic and metal on top of the sawdust, and took out a lighter, creating a miniature campfire on the very expensive piece of equipment.

"Now Alec, I want you to pay close attention, because this is what will happen to your camera every time you attempt to take a photograph of Edward in a compromising position, do you understand?" The blond spoke slowly, emphasizing every word as if talking to a small child. Alec nodded his head frantically as he registered the incredible rage boiling just beneath Jasper's carefully controlled icy exterior, "Good boy, now don't give anyone trouble. We'd hate to have to cause you any more discomfort." Jasper grabbed Alec's jaw, causing the small man to scream in pain, "That _does_ look like it hurts…" Jasper's tone was sympathetic, but his actions were anything but, "I wonder if they'll let you get medical attention before they book you once I tell them what you were doing on the site, I'm betting no."

Edward watched the entire exchange in a daze. The scene was almost like an out of body experience, fulfilling his darkest deepest desires against Alec. Edward would never have thought to physically resolve the situation, and when he'd first become cognizant of what was happening, he'd almost resigned himself to being shoved unwillingly out of the closet. Jasper was like an avenging angel.

Edward was not naïve enough to believe that Alec wouldn't try again, or that he wouldn't just go to the press with the story regardless of lack of photographic evidence, but the fact that Alec's camera was currently an expensive campfire reassured the redhead.

The camera lay smoldering as Joe tromped down the stairs. Jasper looked up at him, "Hey, Joe. This guy was sneaking around the site, taking pictures of things he shouldn't have. Could you keep him company while he waits to be arrested?" Joe took in the scene and a knowing glint touched his eye. He nodded, concealing a smile with a fake cough and a discreet hand.

"Well now, young man. You have done yourself a mischief. What happened here? How did you get hurt so badly?" Alec gulped as Jasper kept him locked in a steady gaze.

"I er… fell."

Joe nodded sagely, "Yeah, I've seen this sort of thing before, it's a pity when people sneak places they aren't supposed to be and have accidents. It really makes you appreciate all the 'no trespassing' signs. We'll just go on over to the tent and make sure your fall hasn't addled your brain. We wouldn't want you coming up with any wild stories that could get innocent folk into trouble. That can of worms might not close painlessly, if you get my drift." Joe led the scrawny man away (if by led one can infer dragging by the scruff of the neck.) all the while the old man clucked like a mother hen about how unfortunate Alec's plight was.

Jasper turned to Edward, expecting the worst and ready to try and coax him out of another shutdown, "You know this won't stop him, right?" Edward said, "If he doesn't manage to get back on the lot, he'll just sell the story to some gossip rag and they'll use an old photo. It will get out in any event. You shouldn't have done the whole beat down. It could come back to bite you in the ass." He smiled a small smile at Jasper, not really angry, but still a little worried about the blond.

"I'd have done the same thing if any of my other volunteers were similarly harassed," Jasper said archly, "I can't have my construction sites turn into a circus… it's bad for business. Besides, if we ever want more celebrities volunteer, how would it look if we let a paparazzo sneak onto the site and leave with his camera and person intact?"

Edward snorted, "Please, I'm not freaked out so you can drop the Good Samaritan act, Whitlock. I know you're just trying to get into my pants."

Jasper pouted, "I would so have done the same thing for anyone," He snaked a hand down the back of Edward's pants and cupped his ass, "I might not have enjoyed it quite as much, but I still would do it. Besides, I've already been in your pants way too often for you to start complaining now, wouldn't you say, _Cullen?"_ Edward bit back a groan and ground himself against Jasper firmly. Edward wrapped one hand loosely around Jasper's back and the other fisted in his messy blond curls. He pulled Jasper up to him and backed into the same wall Jasper had pinned him to earlier. Edward slid his own hands down Jasper's back and under the waistband of his jeans, pulling the blond's hips flush to his. They stood there for several minutes, kissing heatedly.

Edward pulled away finally, "Ungh, Jasper… I need to…" he trailed off as Jasper licked his pulse point and then bit down gently, "Fu-uck…" He scrabbled at Jasper's clothes, trying to pull the other man even closer.

"I think we can work something like that out," Jasper said with a smile as he continued to tease Edward's neck and bare shoulder. Edward succumbed to the seduction for a few more minutes, groping Jasper and sliding his hands up under the taller man's shirt. Jasper worked his way down Edward's bare chest, pausing every time Edward made a particularly delicious noise.

"I need to…" Edward gasped as Jasper bit one of his nipples. His voice grew even thicker and more strained, "Need to get back to… Oh God, right there!" He lost his train of thought for a moment as Jasper skimmed his side gently, feeling each individual rib as Edward's chest rose and fell with his labored breathing. Edward tried again, "Jasper, stop… work… don't want to get in trouble with the boss." Jasper captured Edward's lips once more, and then pulled away.

"It's okay, Darlin', I know the boss personally, and he said I could steal you away for a few minutes. Said something about us being ahead of schedule. Apparently, some hotshot businessman/celebrity decided to volunteer on this project, and since he turned out not to be completely useless, the extra days allotted to deal with his fuck ups are going to be unnecessary." Edward pulled away and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You're lucky the nail gun isn't handy, Whitlock, I'm a fucking _awesome _volunteer."

Jasper grinned, "I meant it as a compliment, Darlin', you should know that."

Edward growled deep within his chest, "Uh huh, a likely story." Unfortunately the growl went straight to Jasper's cock and any further conversation was lost in the flurry of hands, lips, and tongue that followed the heady exchange. By the time that the two men came back to their senses, another half hour was gone.

"Jasper, I really do need to get out there and finish my work for the day," Edward beseeched, the blond chuckled.

"Edward, I'm not going to let you go back out and work. That tool Jacob Black will probably corner you and molest you or something. We're getting out of here early. Besides, I meant what I said about being ahead of schedule, and after the entire Alec incident, I'm declaring that you need a break." The blond stood and brushed off his ass, and then he extended a hand to Edward and pulled the younger man up into a brief kiss. He brushed Edward's ass off as well, "Go clean up, Darlin', I'll be along in a minute once I've talked with Joe. I'm taking you back to the hotel as soon as I can get away."

Edward's eyes darkened at the unspoken promise and he licked his lips unconsciously as Jasper left him alone in the room. He picked himself up off the floor once more and pressed a hand to his swollen lips, still tingling from excessive use. He spotted the camera and a smile curled on his lips. For the first time since he could remember, he wasn't particularly concerned about the media. It just didn't seem as important anymore. His thoughts turned to Jasper and an involuntary shiver traveled down his body, gooseflesh appearing on his arms as his cock stirred in the confines of its cloth cage. Edward rubbed his arms briskly to dispel the residual tingle and then walked purposefully out of the room. His boots clicked as he clattered down the front steps, donning his hardhat as he went. Luckily, the other volunteers seemed to be occupied with their end of the week tasks, and nobody paid enough attention to him to notice the flush still covering his body or the dazed look on his face.

Edward pulled the flannel shirt out of his back pocket and slipped it on, buttoning it swiftly as the sun had sunk behind the neighboring building and the late afternoon air was no longer as heavy and oppressive as it had been only minutes before. Edward bent and picked up the can of stain he'd been using, tapping the lid with the back of his paintbrush to secure it. He made sure he hadn't left anything in his work area before heading to the shed to rinse his brush and stow his tools. Several of the men had started to gather the various pieces of lumber that had not been used so they could cover all the supplies with tarps for the weekend. Edward was looking forward to having two days off, as his muscles had only just stopped screaming at him every morning. He set the pail on a shelf in the shed and quickly cleaned his brush in a jar of turpentine, laying it out to dry while he exited the shed. Edward noticed how grimy his hands and forearms were and headed to the rest tent to wash up before he went to the truck to wait for Jasper.

* * *

><p>Jasper finished with Joe, getting the account of Alec being taken away by the police and updates on construction progress. Feeling a little guilty about his slacking off over the past couple days, he tried to apologize, but Joe merely waved his attempt away, "Least I can do, Jasper. You deserve to have a little time away from prying eyes, and I know that's difficult with Edward. I can handle things here for as long as you need me to and you know it. This isn't my first time around the track, and it probably won't be my last." Jasper nodded his gratitude and excused himself, trying to avoid Joe's cheeky, knowing smirk.<p>

The blond quickly descended the staircase and exited the building, hoping that Edward had managed to finish and was waiting for him. He saw Edward by the shed however, and drew up short. Edward was talking to the documentary crew, and though he looked a little restless and annoyed, he calmed himself as the camera came up and started rolling.

"Edward," Jake began. Embry and Quil shared a worried look and Embry cleared his throat significantly, causing Jake to turn in his direction. Embry's expression was a blatant threat and Jake quickly started over. Jasper grinned as the Native man fumbled a little in frustration, "Mr. Cullen, there was some drama on the site today." Jake left the question unspoken, since he wanted the full account of Alec from Edward's perspective. He felt like the whole thing was suspicious, and he was kind of pissed that the crew hadn't managed to get anything of the encounter, just random footage of Alec cussing and protesting as he was taken away. Fucking Jasper Whitlock had forced them to miss the most interesting encounter of the day.

Edward nodded, "Yeah, we had a pretty interesting day on the site. One of the workers was injured while he ran one of the larger pieces of equipment." Jake's eyes narrowed slightly, this was obviously not the drama he wanted, but Edward didn't care, "The injury was not too severe, and luckily one of the women who works with us on this project is a nurse. As soon as the injury was sustained, the crew all contributed whatever they could to make sure the situation was dealt with. The way it was dealt with really emphasizes how close all the volunteers have become, it's almost like a family here. It's also wonderful that we have such a spectrum of professions and walks of life. The fact that we could deal with this injury with a minimal amount of worry or discomfort was truly a godsend.

"Jamison is doing well and will be back to work sometime next week, from what I understand. It's really great that we've gone a whole week with people who are completely new to construction and have only had one minor accident. Construction sites are full of dangerous tools and all sorts of accidents waiting to happen, but the quality of professionals on this site has worked in our favor to minimize any danger. If you don't know about a job, then the professionals work with you to make sure you've got the entire process down and know what not to do.

"It also helps that there's a wide spectrum of tasks from simple and safe to more complex for people who have been long-time volunteers or want to learn more about the construction process. Every job is assigned on a volunteer basis, so nobody has to do anything they don't want to. Hopefully, this accident with Jamison will be the only setback we suffer, because the work we're doing here will help many people from this area to find safety in their time of need."

Jasper almost laughed at the expression on Jake's face. Edward had completely sidestepped the incident the documentarian wanted to emphasize, and had done so while answering the leading comment fully. If a viewer didn't know about the stalking issue, they would never have any clue that Jake was trying to point in that direction.

Jake didn't give up, "Wasn't there another incident, Mr. Cullen? One hitting closer to home?"

Edward frowned a little, "There was an incident later on, but I don't really think it has a great bearing on this project. It was a personal matter and was dealt with as such."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine…" Jake trailed off with a whiny voice. Embry growled quietly and Edward sighed.

"There was a small problem with site security. A man somehow got into the building in the hope of finding me and getting some candid shots of me at work. He was injured in an accident and arrested for trespassing."

Jake quirked an eyebrow, "Is that all?"

Edward shook his head, "This guy didn't know when to quit. He had been warned of the dangers, and there are 'No Trespassing' signs all around the premises. Most people think that it's just a frivolous warning, but this man had no idea of the layout or construction status of our site. He wandered into a room that is currently occupied by a couple of dangerous tools and has no lights whatsoever. Since this building is under construction, the workers know not to go into any unlit areas because there is every chance that the floors might not be finished, the walls might be unsteady, there might be construction materials to trip on or tools that can seriously injure people who aren't careful.

"This photographer took his life in his hands in order to capture a meaningless photograph, and he's lucky that he only suffered a fall. While this job is rewarding and relatively simple when you're trained, it is still dangerous. When people ignore blatant warnings, they put their own lives and possibly the lives of others at risk. This photographer behaved in a reckless and unprofessional manner, and I'm frankly disappointed in the lengths the media goes to for a few pixels of my private life." He glared at Jake, and then added, "Besides, if he'd wanted my photo, all he had to do was ask. I would have gladly posed."

Jasper had to stuff a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at the lighthearted coda. He knew very well that Edward would never have posed for the type of picture Alec wanted to get.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important work to get to tomorrow, and I need to head out now. I'll see you on Monday." Jake began to protest, but Embry had already cut the video feed and shot him a warning look. Jake trailed off and Edward headed to the tent. Jasper came up to Embry and thanked him for respecting Edward's privacy. The two men launched into a quiet discussion of what Embry thought of the site and the film. Neither noticed when Jake slipped off after Edward.

* * *

><p>Edward scrubbed his arms briskly in the chilly water. When he was finished, he turned to dry his hands and was surprised to see Jake holding a towel out for him, "Mr. Black," Edward greeted him, "Can I help you with something?"<p>

Jake smile, "I was wondering if you wanted to get together for a drink… to discuss the film."

Edward raised his eyebrows, "Is there something wrong with the film? Some issue?"

Jake shook his head, "I just thought that if we discussed the work and got to know each other a little better, I would be able to make a film closer to what you want."

Edward frowned, "Are you suggesting that the film is going to disappoint? I was under the impression that the promotional material was going well. I understood that you had several testimonials and sufficient footage of the work being done to give people a genuine understanding of what the volunteer work entails. Should I be worried?"

Jake balked a little, the conversation going in a direction he hadn't anticipated, "O-of course not, Edward. I just… thought…" he wavered a moment before falling silent.

Edward gave him a penetrating look, and then he sighed, "I've had a long day, Mr. Black, and I meant what I said about the work that I have to attend to, if there's nothing else, then I'll see you on Monday with the rest of the workers." Without waiting for a reply from the other man, Edward tossed the towel on the table and headed off toward Jasper's truck.

He hopped into the vehicle as soon as he reached it, and then leaned against the window as the events of the day caught up with him. He felt more than a little used and abused after the incident with Alec and his irritating interview with Jake. He couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and have a long, hot shower to help him relax. Then maybe he'd have a quiet dinner with Jasper and later he'd get the blond so worked up that he'd have no choice but to surrender to the passion both men felt brewing.

Jasper was entirely unaware of the exchange that happened in the rest tent, but when Edward didn't return to the shed after washing up, he excused himself quickly and almost ran across the parking lot. Sure enough, Edward was in the truck. Jasper grinned as he hopped in, but Edward didn't look at him. He reached out a hand and laid it on Edward's shoulder, feeling tension radiating from the younger man.

"Edward?" Jasper felt a swell of anxiety, what if Edward was drawing back again? Was it all too much? "Edward, are you alright?" The redhead shook his head and Jasper saw a tear glistening on his cheek, "Shit. What did I do?"

Edward started and turned to Jasper, seeing the confusion and worry in the older man's face. He pushed away from the door and leaned over the middle seat to press a fierce kiss to Jasper's lips, "It's not you, Jasper. I'm just… it's been a long day."

Jasper sighed in relief before starting the truck. He caught Edward's hand in his own and held it firmly as he pulled out of the lot and onto the highway.

When they reached the hotel, Dmitri stepped out of the sedan he'd been occupying and informed the men that nothing had happened during the course of the day. Edward smiled and then towed Jasper into his room, chaining the door behind them. Before Jasper had adjusted to the relative darkness of the hotel room, Edward pressed himself up against the taller man, wrapping both arms around his torso and pressing his face into Jasper's neck.

Jasper sensed Edward's need for comfort and returned the embrace, holding the smaller man flush against his body. Jasper couldn't forestall the physical reaction to having Edward wrapped around him, and he tried to surreptitiously distance his hips from Edward's. Edward noticed what the blond was doing and pressed his own hips firmly against Jasper's burgeoning erection, "Why Mr. Whitlock, is that a screwdriver? Or are you happy to see me?"

Jasper laughed quietly at the incredibly cheesy joke, but his laugh turned to a gasp when Edward nipped at his neck. The younger man latched on to Jasper's neck and bit down harder, causing the older man to groan and thrust his hips against Edward's, grinding both men's now-straining erections together, "Fuuck," Jasper gasped as Edward continued to explore his neck and jaw. Edward growled and bit down again, causing Jasper to jerk against the smaller man once more.

"That's the general idea," Edward muttered as he clawed at Jasper's back and pulled the older man to the bed. When Edward felt his legs butt up against the mattress, he leaned back and pulled Jasper with him, falling onto the bed with a heavy, hard body on top of him. Edward's hands slid to the front of Jasper's shirt, pulling it slowly apart one button at a time.

Jasper captured Edward's mouth and thrust his tongue roughly into the slick cavern. He licked Edward's tongue and sucked it into his own mouth, dominating the kiss as he thrust his tongue deeply into Edward's mouth over and over. He began to grind his hips down against Edward's with the same rhythm as his tongue assaulted the redhead's mouth. Jasper's hands wrenched Edward's shirt apart at the front, not noticing the buttons as they were ripped from the fabric. He slipped his hands beneath Edward's back and pulled the younger man's chest until it collided with his shirt. The room filled with the passion of their shared need, gasps and moans teasing the corners of the dark room as clothes quickly dropped to the floor. Soon, both men were naked, and thrusting against each other, exalting in the sensations of their first encounter, weeks before. Jasper was vaguely aware that his plan to take things slowly had melted away in the heat of the moment, but as Edward clutched him closer still, he offered himself completely to the younger man.

Edward gripped Jasper tightly and hooked his legs around Jasper's thighs; as if afraid the older man would disappear if he gave up what little control he still retained. In the midst of their thrusting, Edward realized he was rapidly approaching release, "Need you, Jasper…" he managed to breath between kisses, "In… me."

Jasper let out a strangled 'yes' and started to work his way down to Edward's waist, worshipping each muscle and crease of his skin as he worked his way downward. He gave Edward one wet lick up the length of his cock and smiled at the responsive shudder. His next target made Edward's eyes pop wide open, "Wha—gah!" Jasper smiled as he licked the puckered entrance, holding Edward's legs down so that he wouldn't thrash about so much. Edward mewled in decadent delirium as Jasper laved the sensitive skin of his hole. Jasper felt Edward relax into his touch and suddenly thrust his tongue through the tight ring of his entrance, forcing another strangled yelp from Edward's lips. Edward bucked and jerked as Jasper worshiped his body, shuddering when a cool wet finger replaced the blazing heat of Jasper's tongue. Jasper thrust his finger in to the hilt and began small circling motions to loosen Edward's entrance while his mouth returned to the smaller man's weeping cock.

Edward sank into the swell of sensation overtaking his senses. He only maintained enough conscious thought to beg for more in broken and desperate tones. Jasper complied willfully as he added a second finger and then a third. When Jasper withdrew both his mouth and fingers, Edward cried out in a weak sob, "No, please! I…" Jasper lined up his sheathed length before Edward could fully form the request and pushed gently against Edward's stretched entrance, sliding easily past the muscle and continuing in one long, languorous thrust until he felt Edward's channel envelop his entire length.

Jasper paused just long enough for another whimper to drop from Edward's lips before beginning to thrust. He tortured the other man with irregular thrusts, alternating between swift and painfully slow, swiveling his hips every so often and varying the distance he withdrew. With nearly every thrust he grazed the bundle of nerves that made Edward's eyes cross and his hands clench against the bed sheets.

When Edward was about to cum, Jasper pulled all the way out, grabbing both of the younger man's ankles roughly. Edward started to protest, but Jasper flipped him over easily and thrust back in, grinding Edward's trembling form into the bedspread as he continued pounding roughly into the redhead. Jasper's strokes became frantic and erratic as Edward started chanting his name, with one last powerful thrust Edward yelled Jasper's name hoarsely and Jasper buried himself to the hilt once more as both lovers climaxed simultaneously. Edward panted into the covers as Jasper sank down beside him and pulled the smaller man up against his chest, softening cock still planted in Edward's tight heat.

Jasper barely managed to slip out and dispose of the condom before both men fell into a sated rest, wrapped in each other's arms.

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews, they definitely inspire me to write. I'll be continuing all of my chapter stories until I bring them to what I imagine the conclusions to be :D Please visit the Slash_Backslash page and vote for your favorites next week! **

**.net/community/Slash_Backslash_3_0/74941/14/0/1/**

**As always, tell me what you think, and next week Jasper takes Edward to a nightclub.**


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